The Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security last year announced that Cabinet had approved an extension of the deadline for the recall of non– machine readable passports from November 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015.
The Minisstry today announced a further one month extension of the deadline from January 31 to February 28, 2015.
Citizens of Saint Lucia who presently carry non-machine readable passports will be required to apply for a machine-readable passport at the Immigration Department in the Lamar Building on Bridge Street, Castries before the new deadline date. Passport fees remain as follows: Regular– $80.00 and Express service – $130.00.
At the end of the recall, citizens of Saint Lucia will not be permitted to travel with the non-machine readable passports.
The Ministry said this new system was in compliance with the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the organization that governs the specifications and guidelines for travel documents.
“The introduction of the Machine Readable Passport is to enhance the security of travel documents and to avoid counterfeiting and fraudulent alterations”, the Ministry said.