Digital payments for ID and passport services
The Director of Civil Registry and Immigration says payments for passports and nationality-related services have moved to a digital approach, with citizens required to pay fees directly into the National Revenue Authority’s (NRA) bank account (Eye Radio).
Major General Elia Costa describes the shift as an administrative change in how government revenue is collected for these services, with the stated goal of making transactions clearer and faster for both citizens and the state (Eye Radio).
Office of the President directive cited by officials
Major General Elia Costa links the update to a directive from the Office of the President, which he says called for a digital system to improve transparency and efficiency in revenue collection (Eye Radio).
In an interview described as exclusive, he framed the adjustment as part of broader efforts to modernise procedures and reduce avoidable delays in handling official fees (Eye Radio).
How the NRA account payment system works
According to Major General Elia Costa, the core change is that funds are now paid straight into the NRA account at the bank, rather than passing first through a receipt-based process before later deposit (Eye Radio).
“There was a decision from the office of the President that the system should be digital… the citizen will go to deposit the fees in NRA account,” he said, contrasting it with the previous approach of issuing receipts before depositing the money (Eye Radio).
What citizens are asked to do at the directorate
Major General Elia Costa says citizens will be provided with the official account number and are expected to deposit the required fees directly themselves, aligning payments with the NRA’s central revenue channel (Eye Radio).
“Now, we provide citizens with the account number, and they deposit the amount directly themselves,” he said, presenting the procedure as a practical step to strengthen accountability in fee collection (Eye Radio).
Transparency and efficiency goals in public fee collection
The official maintains that direct payment into the NRA account is intended to reinforce transparency and improve efficiency in collecting passport and nationality fees, by ensuring money moves immediately into the designated state revenue account (Eye Radio).
For citizens, the change effectively standardises the payment route, while authorities expect the digital process to support clearer tracking of collections at the point where services are administered (Eye Radio).