Tomorrow morning's line at the immigration department in Belmopan is set to be one of the longest ever. That's because tomorrow is the last day of regular business before the start of a significant modernisation of the passport system, one that will make the old one and the passports it currently produces obsolete.
We got that news a few weeks ago in a press release from the Ministry of Immigration which also mentioned a disruption in services. And that disruption is what this last rush of customers to the department is trying to beat, but they've all had to line up in Belmopan because as you're about to hear from department director Mario Arzu, Belmopan has been the only office countrywide offering the full complement of services, which, again, ends tomorrow. Here's more via Zoom:
Mario Arzu, Director for the Department of Nationality and Passport
"Now, I am sure that these lines that you have seen at the Belmopan office primarily is because in the districts. The other two districts that produce our accepted applications, are in the process of clearing out all the pending applications that they have and you will be able to hear from Belizeans that they are being called to come in and if the passport application that was submitted over a period of time. If something is missing or they need to re-do a photograph or they need to add something to that application, they are being contacted for those who left contract numbers so that that application can be cleared out of the system. So, presently the Corozal office and the Belize City office are primarily focusing on clearing the backlogs or the pending. applications. The Belmopan office is the only office providing. A full service at this time simply because are focusing primarily on emergency passport applications. So, you may be, well obviously if you come by our office you will see that we are back to those long lines and we are back to these longer hours working simply for the purpose of us clearing that out before we start to implement the new system. So that would be the first thing you would see if you come by the Belmopan office. Long lines, people waiting, and of course some because they do not want the news E-passports for whatever reason and others because they want to get their application in before that new system comes into effect."
