The deadline for the recall of non-machine readable passports has been extended to March 31, 2014.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and National Security recently announced that the Cabinet of Ministers had agreed that the October 31, 2013 deadline had been extended.
In 2007, the government of Saint Lucia took the decision to support the introduction of machine readable passports. In March of that same year, the Saint Lucia Immigration Department began to issue these passports.
This new system is in compliance with the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the organisation that governs the specifications and guidelines for travel documents.
The introduction of the machine readable passports is to enhance the security of travel documents to avoid counterfeiting and fraudulent alterations.
Citizens of Saint Lucia who presently carry non-machine readable passports will be required to apply for a machine-readable passport at the Immigration Department on Bridge Street, Castries. The public is encouraged to take full advantage of this five month extension. The fees which obtain remain the same.
At the end of the recall, citizens of Saint Lucia will not be permitted to travel with the non machine readable passports.
