Demand for Guyanese passport increase by 500% – Pres. Ali

Sep 21, 2022 News

– global supply chain delays blamed for long wait for new travel documents

Kaieteur News – The long wait for the issuance of new passports is due to a delay in the global supply chain. At least this is what President Irfaan Ali made clear during an engagement on Diaspora Sunday.

Addressing an interfaith ceremony in New York where he is on an official trip to attend the United Nations General Assembly, President Ali spoke of a spike in demand for Guyanese passports.

He said, “And whilst there is this shortage…For whatever reason, I don’t know why, there is a demand for Guyanese passports that has increased by 500 percent. So unfortunately, we are being hit with the perfect storm. We are getting hit by a supply chain crisis and a rapid increase in demand for the passport.”

The President pointed out that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is profound, as he outlined the challenges in the global supply chain that it has posed. This crisis, he noted, has impacted every sector.

Emphasizing that the passport services has not been spared, especially renewals, the President took note that the Guyanese Diaspora has been complaining bitterly about the delays.

He noted, “Every day, the Consulate Office here would call the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and say people cussing [them]… But this is the reality. Since a year-and-a-half ago, we ordered, I think, 80,000 passports. We’ve been continuously ordering.”

He explained that the materials to print the Guyanese passport booklet are provided by a leading international company in Canada. But because of the supply chain issues, there are tremendous shortages and delays of the materials needed to produce these documents.

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, there was a surge in persons visiting the Central Office for passport services, where about 200 persons were being attended to daily.

Back in June, however, the Central Immigration and Passport Office in Georgetown issued a statement informing the public that its operation has been affected by a delay in the shipment of materials used to print passports.

In fact, persons who went to renew their passports were told to return after three months. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, persons were told to return to uplift the travel document within a week after they applied.

As a result, many citizens are now being forced to reschedule travel plans and cancel appointments overseas. The delays are proving to be a major setback for persons awaiting passports so that they can travel overseas to conduct business before summer holidays.

As the passport office awaits supplies, the Guyana Police Force’s Central Immigration and Passport Office has assured the public that passport and other immigration document services will continue and that it is attempting to do so within the normal timeframe of five working days.

While the wait in many cases is inevitable, the Central Immigration and Passport Office had said it remains unwavering in its commitment to work assiduously to ensure that things are back to normal in the shortest possible time.