Passport fee will increase to EC$250

by Linda Straker

• As of 1 November 2019, fees for obtaining a new passport, renewing an existing passport, and for extension of stay, will increase
• Increase was implied almost 1 year ago when government launched introduced e-passports

The Grenada Government has said it cannot continue providing the full subsidy for a passport. As a result, the Cabinet on Monday approved an increase in the cost of obtaining the travel document by EC$75.

Legal Affairs Minister, Kindra Mathurine Stewart, announced during the weekly Tuesday morning post-cabinet briefing, that as of 1 November 2019, the fee for obtaining a new passport, renewing an existing passport, and for extension of stay, will increase.

She explained that there will be two amendments in the passport regulations, one of which will affect holders of a Grenadian passport. The other is for non-nationals who wish to continue to legally stay on the island after the time provided by the immigration officer upon entrance is expired.

“The amendment regulations seek to amend a schedule for the passport regulations 2018, which essentially provides for an increase in passports fee payable to obtain a Grenadian passport effective 1 November 2019,” she said, explaining that the increase was implied almost one year ago when government launched the upgraded e-passports.

“As you are aware, on 17 July 2018, the e-passport was launched here in Grenada. This is a specific passport that has specific biometric features and a radio efficiency identification chip. You may recall that at the launch it was announced that the cost of that said passport which was EC$175, was in fact, a subsidised cost. It was also announced at the launch that government was prepared to subsidise this cost to the extent of only one year,” she said.

“The fact is that government cannot continue to subsidise this cost to this extent, and that is because we will not be in a position to recover most of the cost expended on the manufacturing or printing of these passports,” she said. The actual cost for the production of one passport is EC$300.

“So you can see that the government still continues to subsidise the cost, albeit to a lesser extent,” she said. She announced the cost for that non-nationals who wish to continue residing in Grenada after the allocated time given by immigration officer upon entry, will also increase.

“So, under the 2018 regulations for each month for which an extension of stay was granted that fee was EC$25. It has now increased to EC$75,” she disclosed.