Immigration Minister Explains Need for Price Increase

But the increase in the price of passports and passport services was already announced. On March 29, during the sitting of the Senate, Minister of Immigration Eamon Courtenay explained the reason for the increase. 

Hon. Eamon Courtenay, Senator for Government Business: “I believe that all Belizeans are now well aware that during the current fiscal year we introduced the EPICS E-Passport online appointment services and updates to the delivery of those services online. The system has been deployed at all our missions abroad and is now up and running. It has modernized our archaic passport system that was vulnerable and that was corrupted -I repeat, corrupted. We now have enhanced security features that add substantially to the integrity of the passports. Madam President and members of the Senate again as I had alerted to inform the Senate before the number of passport applications continue to far exceed what we have projected and what we previously used to process. We are processing in Belmopan alone approximately 500 passports per week. Madam President as was forecast when we introduced the system come the first of April there will be an increase in the cost for passports and passport services.”