by Kory Leslie (Freelance Writer)
BELIZE CITY, Tues. Apr. 4, 2023
Recent information leaked from the Immigration Office has caused major concern among the middle and lower classes. An S.I. signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration, Hon. Eamon Courtenay, began to circulate on various social media platforms on Monday, indicating a staggering increase in the cost of acquiring a Belizean passport.
According to the document, the new price for procuring a ten-year passport for anyone below the age of sixteen is now $150.00 while the cost for those sixteen and older has been hiked to $200.00. This represents a 500% increase when compared to the previous $30.00 cost of the former, and a 400% increase when compared to the former $50.00 cost of the latter. Additionally, the price to acquire a temporary border pass has likewise been bumped up to $100.00, while the price to receive a passport for a medical emergency will cost an additional $100.00 added to the new fees, meaning those over sixteen will need to pay a total of $300.00 for this class of passport. In order to replace a lost, damaged or stolen passport, a fee of $200.00 will be added to the new cost for a passport, and expedited passports will come with a fee of $300.00 added to the new costs of a passport as well.
The changes were to be implemented on April 1, 2023, without any public awareness campaign or public consultation exercise being carried out by the Ministry of Immigration, but instead, came into effect on April 4th.