Mandatory online passport application appointment system begins in October

…as mobile passport services reach Region 1

The Central Immigration and Passport Office has taken its services to Region One (Barima-Waini), with immigration officers using mobile biometric kits to process passport applications in hinterland communities.
President Dr Irfaan Ali posted online on Thursday that immigration officers are currently in Region One providing passport services through the mobile biometric system.
The President had also posted on Wednesday that immigration ranks were in Kato Village, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), where they provided passport services to residents using the mobile biometrics kit.
A total of 39 passport applications were processed during the exercise.
The outreach comes as the Government prepares to implement a mandatory online appointment system for passport applications nationwide.
Effective October 1, all passport applications must be submitted online, with passport offices no longer accepting walk-in applications.
“We will no longer accept persons at any of the passport offices with persons walking in with their application. So, you will now only be dealt with by an appointment,” Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Stephen Telford said in a video uploaded on Thursday to the Facebook page of the Ministry of Public Service, Government Efficiency and Implementation.
The mandatory online appointment system comes several months after online passport applications were introduced, initially operating alongside the traditional walk-in process.
According to Telford, the transition to a fully online appointment system will help streamline the passport application process and improve efficiency nationwide.
“That in itself allows you, the applicant, in the application process, to choose which one of the passport offices you want to do your application, at a date and a time that is convenient to you,” he said.
Guyana’s online passport application system went live on June 15, in a move aimed at reducing waiting times and providing citizens with greater convenience when applying for passports.
Authorities have reported that passport processing times have been reduced to three working days, while expedited applications can be completed within 24 hours and, in exceptional circumstances, even sooner.
The expansion of mobile biometric services to hinterland communities forms part of wider efforts to improve access to immigration services, particularly for residents who may otherwise have to travel to access passport services.
These interventions build on a series of reforms within Guyana’s immigration services. In addition to online passport applications, immigration services have embraced digital travel processing through the introduction of the electronic embarkation and disembarkation form and automated e-gates at ports of entry.
The electronic form allows travellers to complete immigration requirements up to 30 days before travel, while e-gates have reduced processing times for eligible passengers to as little as 15 seconds.
The measures form part of President Ali’s broader push to expand digital government services and improve access to public services.
With the October 1 deadline approaching, applicants will be required to use the online system to select a passport office, date and time for their appointments, replacing the previous walk-in arrangement.