Passports in five days for overseas Guyanese- Govt. promises

Jul 09, 2015 News

There is good news now for citizens and the applications for passports. According to Government yesterday, it is moving rapidly to decentralize operations, making it easier for persons living in far-flung areas to apply and renew their passports.

In the foreign missions, systems are being put into place that would reduce waiting time from months to days.

Speaking yesterday at his weekly press briefings at the Ministry of the Presidency, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, said that there have been complaints by especially Guyanese living overseas.

During a meeting in the US and then over the weekend in Barbados, Guyanese complained of long delays in getting back passports, in some cases up to five months.

During a recent visit to Brooklyn, New York to participate in a rally to celebrate the coalition’s victory, Harmon had promised to work to make passport renewals and applications easier.

Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, on Tuesday briefed Cabinet, revealing that a backlog exists with steps being taken to ensure that this is reduced considerably.

The Cabinet of Ministers had approved a request for $9.7 million to purchase additional equipment for the Passport Office.

This should see the waiting time reduced to five days, especially for those in the diaspora, Harmon assured.

While not giving details, he disclosed that locally, the distribution of passports will be concentrated in areas where there are high demands.

“So that a Guyanese citizen in Berbice, in Linden, at Bartica, in Lethem and in the hinterland locations, it will make it easier for them to access these essential documents which are necessary for them to travel and to do business.”

It has become a normal sight to see large crowds in front of the Passport Office, on Camp Road. Families have been known to travel from the wee hours of the morning of staying overnight in the city just to apply for a new Passport or renew one.