The Department of Immigration and Emigration says that passport issuance must be limited due to the limited number of printed passports available.
The government has taken steps to introduce new electronic passports, and it is reported that a tender has already been awarded after international bids were made to a foreign company to supply passports.
However, considering the limited stock of printed passports available at the Immigration and Emigration Department, the Department states that they have procured 50,000 ordinary blank passports from the same foreign company that got the order to supply electronic passports as part of the same order.
This stock of unprinted passports is scheduled to reach the island by the end of October or before. Until this stock of unprinted passports is procured, the Immigration and Emigration Department requests that the public apply for passports only for essential reasons.
