It was promised in April of 2003 and finally on Monday, the machine-readable passport system will become fully operational. What will it mean for those of you who are about to apply for passports? Well, first, you'll no longer have to take in two pictures, as those photos will be taken by the system when you apply. And while pictures are not an issue, fingerprints are. You'll have to give your fingerprint, and that will not be included in the passport but stored for identity purposes. And, with this new system, passports will no longer be valid for 10 years; these will be valid for 5 years. More than that, children will no longer be included on a parent's passports; the rule is one person, one passport. The application for has been modernized to mesh with the new system and new forms are available from the Immigration Office. Passports will be processed in one week, and the cost for a passport will remain at $30, albeit for half the life. Those who currently have valid passports will not have to change theirs immediately, but will be made to do so when it expires.

Tags Immigration Office