By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

FOREIGN Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell said the backlog at the Passport Office is expected to continue until January when a new system and passport is introduced.

In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Mitchell said new updated 50-page passports, with improved security features, will be rolled out in 2017 along with an updated system and a shorter wait time for the documents.

At the end of June, Mr Mitchell said the Passport Office is experiencing the “summer from hell” as he announced delays of more than 12 weeks for e-passports.

He said the Passport Office has been plagued with a series of issues including power failure, air-conditioning failure and equipment breakdowns.

At the time, Mr Mitchell said even if the public pays the $200 price for expedited passports, there is no guarantee the documents will be ready on the specified date.

He pleaded for “patience” as the government attempts to fix the outstanding issues at the department.

“We will install new machines and significantly upgrade the current Passport Office,” Mr Mitchell said on Monday. “The new passports will have new features included updated paper, technology and security features.

“The number of pages will increase. The technology is old now at the Passport Office, it dates back to 2008 and we all know technology and software increases everyday, so it is long overdue. What we expect is that the roll out in January will put a substantial dent in the time for collecting passports.”

Mr Mitchell also said he was “confused” that only a handful of Bahamians were taking advantage of the alternative measures the government put in place to ease the wait time at the Passport Office.

“We moved collection of passports from the Thompson Boulevard office to another location and no one is using it,” Mr Mitchell said.

“People complain and we make these arraignments and no one is taking advantage of it. I don’t understand it but we are going to continue with the services. They are going to move the collection of passports to BCPOU for a couple of weeks and then in an area in the east (of New Providence) but for right now, the wait for the passports is the same.”

Last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs implemented a new $200 fee for people who require passports within 48 hours on an emergency basis.

The announcement came as the Passport Office continued to grapple with a backlog of 6,500 applications.

The regular fee for passport renewal is $50.