by Khaila Gentle

BELMOPAN, Mon. Oct. 24, 2022

Today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Immigration held the official launch ceremony for the country’s new e-passport system. The Electronic Passport Issuance and Control System (ePICS) has been hailed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Eamon Courtenay, as a secure and more efficient upgrade to Belize’s former, and outdated, system. The passports carry an electronic chip, which, according to Hon. Courtenay, holds numerous security features to safeguard holders’ personal information. The launch, he said, is the culmination of an effort which began in February 2021, when Cabinet approved the procurement of a new passport system.

In addition to enhanced security features, the new passports, which were produced by Canadian Bank Note Limited, also come with new modern designs that highlight a theme of national pride. The designs were done by a team of officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, the National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Immigration.

Today, Minister Courtenay handed the Governor General, H.E. Dame Froyla Tzalam, the first new e-passport. He also presented Prime Minister John Briceño with a framed set of passports and passport memorabilia.

“Domestically, a passport serves as an important document of identity and nationality. It certifies who the bearer is and that you are a Belizean. Internationally, the passport is the most widely recognized and accepted document used to enter a foreign country,” he said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Immigration says that it is confident that the new electronic system will elevate security and eliminate the corruption and fraud associated with passport issuance. It will also help the ministry better address the increasing demand for passports. According to Minister Courtenay, over the past two years, the number of passports issued has increased dramatically, going from 13,830 in 2020 to 23,521 in 2021, to 37,855 this year to date.

“To address this dramatic increase in demand and the expected surge in applications for the new passports, we will have online appointments to manage applications. Our objective is to end the long lines and hours of waiting at our immigration offices,” he said.

With the launch of the ePICS system, the passport application process will now be mostly online, save for photo taking and signing the passport. Visitors to the Immigration Department’s official website will note that its passport application section is up and running and that, more importantly, passport fees are currently the same—$50.00 for an adult passport with a 10-year validity and $30.00 for a passport for children under the age of 16.

Previously, a leaked image had led to reports that the application fee for the new passports could have been increased by almost 400%, at $200 for an adult passport. Those reports, however, were never confirmed, or acknowledged, by the Ministry.

With the transition to an online system, there will now be a total of seven locations across the country that are able to accept passport applications—Corozal Town, Orange Walk Town, Belize City, San Pedro Town, Belmopan, Dangriga Town, and Punta Gorda Town. Previously, there were only three such locations. There will also now be seven overseas locations accepting applications: London, Taipei, Washington, New York, Chicago, Coral Gables, and Los Angeles.