FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert says there will soon be shorter wait times for those travelling to and from Trinidad and Tobago as e-passports, as well as online disembarking and embarking forms, will soon be implemented.

He announced this during his budget presentation in the Red House on September 30.

An e-passport, also called a biometric passport, has an embedded microchip which has biometric data.

Imbert said Cabinet authorised the Ministry of National Security’s immigration division to move from machine-readable passports to e-passports.

“This fosters numerous benefits (including) enhanced security through embedded electronic chips that store personal information and biometric data, making them difficult to forge.”

He said this will “keep TT in sync with the rest of the world,” as e-passports are globally recognised.

“(This will result in) faster processing at airports via automated border control gates and significantly reduce wait times.”

He added that e-passports are more durable and can feature updatable security measures.

“Converting will streamline travel while providing greater peace of mind regarding security.”

Currently, disembarking and embarking forms must be filled out physically.

Imbert said in 2025, a legal team will begin working on the framework for the forms to go online. He called it a digital online disembarkation and embarkation card.

The legal team, he said, will assess requirements, determine the specifications needed, review similar implementations in other countries, identify necessary legislative changes and evaluate model legislation and industry standards to guarantee it meets data protection and privacy requirements.

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