LEDEDRA MARCHE - The Freeport News
The Grand Bahama Passport Office has relocated to the old FINCO building in the Regent Centre and is set to open its doors at 9:30 this morning.
Calling the move a welcome change, Superintendent Clarence Russell, officer in charge, said it is part of a series of new initiatives and upgrades at the Passport Office designed to improve customer service to its clients.
The changes were initiated more than three months ago following public outcry over customer service and timely issuance of passports at the local office, among other grievances.
Since then, Russell became the new officer at the helm and Passport applications have been made available at all local police stations, Administrators Offices, the Parliamentary Registration Office, local Post Offices, Frank's Ice-cream Parlour and various churches.
As an added customer convenience, the Passport Office has also made applications available on line at www.bahamas.gov.bs.
The new facility, located directly opposite the downtown Post Office, also provides a senior citizens and disabled desk to better serve the public.
Russell is reminding residents, however, to apply for the new e-Passport at least six months to one year in advance of one's current passport expiration date, as opposed to making late applications.
This, he said, gives the customer ample use of his/her old passport while giving the New Providence Office sufficient time to produce the new e-Passport. Passports thus far are only printed in New Providence, with consideration underway for the introduction of printing capacity in Grand Bahama, he said.
The officer in charge also reminded that the issuance of passport extensions is a thing of the past, as is the issuance of travel documents for Bahamian citizens, unless extenuating circumstances exist. This too, he said, rests in the sole discretion of the management of the Passport Office, with extreme restrictions.
For the first time in its history, the Grand Bahama Passport Office now has its own recurrent budget allocation to specifically address its financial needs, Russell pointed out. Additionally, the local Passport Office has received first, second and the prospect of final approval for passports, he said, which removes the red tape of waiting for New Providence to approve Grand Bahama passport applications.
"This should result in time reduction in producing Grand Bahama passports in the capital, in light of these improved conditions," said Russell. "Informational pamphlets are readily available at all the referred offices which outline requirements for passport applications, which are also made available free of charge to clients."
A toll free customer service hotline is being instituted for information exchange, troubleshooting and normal daily inquiries at the office. The implementation of additional phone lines is also being addressed, he assured, while noting that applications by appointments will be a reality in short order, similar to that of the U.S. Embassy for customer convenience.
Russell explained the process of passport approvals and production, revealing that an applicant first applies at the local Passport Office for his/her passport on a regular week day and is then enrolled at the passport office immediately, provided all their documents are in place.
Next, he said, he or she is required to pay the requisite fees ($50 for an adult and $25 for child) for the passport.
That information, along with all documents produced, is then entered by the data staff of the Passport Office, Freeport, which becomes immediately available via networking to the Nassau Office for approvals.
Both Nassau and Freeport will have access to this personal data and may seek to go through the three levels of approvals before an e-Passport may be produced for the customer collection, he said.
A computer-generated receipt with an application ID number is then given to the applicant, which will be produced when passport collection takes place at either locations in the future.
Russell stressed that whenever inquiring for one's e-passport, this receipt should be readily available for identification purposes and speedy checking of the system for the location of one's passport.
When collecting one's passport, the individual applicant must appear in person so one's initial fingerprint may be compared with that given at the time of enrolment, for the customer's safeguard against fraud.
In exceptional cases, a relative or agent may collect one's passport, with proper ID and a signed letter of consent advising of the critical reason why the original applicant is unable to present him or herself for collection.
