Effective immediately, persons seeking the services of the Barbados Immigration Department will only be able to do so by appointment.
An appointment-only system is now in place for all applications for passports and the various categories of immigration status and services.
However, persons who require urgent passports, or those making payment of fees are not required to make appointments. All appointments may be scheduled by visiting the department’s website.
Acting Chief Immigration Officer, Margaret Inniss, has also advised that customers who require a passport to be issued urgently should call 535-4150 or 832-4102.
The public is encouraged to comply with the appointment system as walk-ins will not be accommodated. Only those doing business with the department will be allowed to enter.
Persons visiting the office will also be required to follow all COVID-19 protocols. These include temperature checks, the sanitising of hands on arrival, the wearing of masks while conducting business, and maintaining a distance of at least six feet from other persons.
Ms. Inniss is also requesting that customers travel only with items necessary for transacting their business to reduce the time spent being screened at the scanner.
These measures are being implemented in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic and to prioritise the health and safety of staff and visitors to the Barbados Immigration Department.