Since the new passport fees went into effect on April fourth with no public notice, there have been howls of discontent about the 400% increase. The fee for an adult 10 year passport went from fifty dollars to two hundred dollars with other increases across the board.
It's put the Briceno administration on the defensive - but today when the was asked about it at an event in Orange Walk, the PM had his taking points lined up; he stressed that the increase is a reflection of the true value of an e-passport with the most updated microchip technology:
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"It is a very big, it's a huge investment that we did and we ensured now that these passports, um, can store your biometrics. They have a microchip in it. And as you all know, there's been a shortage of microchips. So it delayed the, the, the implementation of, of, of these new passports. And secondly, the part, the cost has gone up. I know a lot of people are very concerned and, um, about the cost and are us in cabinet, but we decided that then the consumers, um, should pay for the passport. I don't think it's fair for a cane farmer that has no interest in getting, a, passport for them to be able to help to subsidize a passport for a person like myself that is traveling. And so what the minister did is says, okay, now we are going to move the passport from five years to 10 years. So in effect, your passport, it's costing you $20 per year. Secondly, it's a passport now that is accepted worldwide. One of the problems we are having with the, with the, the European Union, is that they require us to, to, um, to get a visa from them. And one of the reasons why they're saying that is because they did not trust the passport, how secure, how safe it is. Now that we have this new system, they say, okay, now we're taking a, another look. And hopefully in the near future they may say, okay, we, we are going to do a visa waivers for, for Belizeans."
Presently, Belize is the only country in Central America whose citizens require a Schengen visa to travel to Europe.
