New e-Passport System Should Be Online By 1st January, 2027

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According to Minister of Homeland Security, Roger Alexander, the new e-Passport system is expected to come online within a matter of months, as he put forward a tentative timeline of early 2027 for the system to be rolled out.

Speaking with reporters at the launch of a barbering programme at his Tunapuna Constituency Office on El Dorado Road on Monday (13th July, 2026), Minister Alexander said while he could not commit to a specific timeline, he anticipated that the system should be ready for use by 1st January, 2027. He said the e-Passport system was important to enhance efficiencies within the Immigration Division, while ensuring a higher degree of security was observed.

Minister Alexander also insisted that there were currently enough machine-readable Passport booklets for the public, despite not being able to quote the exact number in stock as of Monday. He said, however, that they would have enough until stock is replenished in September.

Alexander urged the public not to panic, as there was no urgency or “rush” to renew their Passports well before their expiration date. “If you’re moving away from machine-readable Passports to e-Passports, there must come a time where there will be changes. I see people running coming now and what would eventually happen? They will still have to come to get the e-Passports. So that is what we are trying to do. We have reached a point in that application process, we have not completed our mission yet with the providers of the machine-readable Passport, but as we wait, all will be well.”

The Minister also noted that once online, the system would remove the need for applicants to make in-person appointments at the Immigration Divisions for renewals or any other transaction. “You won't have to go to an office, you can download, upload and all your documents can be scanned and checked...it makes the process simpler.”

Responding to concerns from some people who complained that they were turned away from the Immigration Office on Richmond Street, Port-of-Spain, on Friday (10th July, 2026), despite arriving early for transactions, he said that this may be due to conflicts in scheduling and not necessarily a shortage of Passports. He urged people without appointments to make use of online portals for information and applications where necessary.

More on this as it becomes available.

[Source: T&T Guardian]

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