The new e-passports have been officially launched today at the Department of Immigration at Walu Bay in Suva.

Five primary school students were the first ones to receive their e-passports today.

Those who had made applications for the passport till yesterday will receive the new e-passport for $72 and those who will make applications from today onwards will be charged $200.

Meanwhile, normal processing of a passport will now cost $200 while urgent processing and emergency passports will be $275.

The Official passport fee and the Diplomatic passport fee is $250.

Urgent processing of these passports will cost $300.

Replacing a lost, stolen or damaged passport will incur a fee of $400 and an urgent application for the same will cost $520.

The immigration department has confirmed they have enough books to cater to the backlog and those wishing to get a new passport.