Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix today said that the fees for the application and processing of passports have not been increased, refuting claims that costs have moved from $4,000 to $15,000.
In a release from the Ministry of the Presidency, Felix said that no decision has been taken either by the Government of Guyana or by Parliament to increase the fees and asserted that information being peddled to the contrary is false.
“Parliament has not approved the increase in the fees for the application for passports and there should be no need to rush to the passport offices in order to secure your passports in anticipation of the increase. No such increase will occur. Parliament has not approved of such increases. The information available is false and the public, who has now been sensitised, should now return to the normal process,” Felix said.
The Minister said that after the false reports were published persons had turned up in large numbers at the Central Immigration and Passport Office on Camp Street, Georgetown, in an effort to avoid paying the alleged increased fees.
“We, the public officials, cannot unilaterally increase the cost of a passport. It will remain at $4000. Whatever the cost was, it remains the same. Any increase is false and ought to be ignored,” Felix said.
