Barbados and Guyana begin passport-free travel using national ID cards

Barbados: The citizens of Barbados and Guyana will now be able to use their International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), digital national ID cards as travel documents to travel between the two countries.

This initiative came into effect on July 1, Wednesday. Senator Jonathan Reid who is the Minister of Innovation, Industry, Science and Technology (MIST), Margaret Innis who is the Chief Immigration Officer (CIO), and Stephen Telford who is the Guyana’s Deputy Chief Immigration Officer (DCIO), Senior Superintendent of Police were all part of the historic process. They all travelled from Guyana to Barbados on Caribbean Airlines flight BW 0217.

After the bilateral agreement between Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and Guyana’s President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the two countries worked together to implement the process effectively in less than six weeks.

I’m pleased with the role that my Ministry is able to play in it…. So, effectively what we did was … partner with the Guyanese Government, compare technologies, ensure that the things were in place to be able to share critical information, and share infrastructure, and as a result of that, we were able to make this dream of a President and our Prime Minister come to fruition, Mr. Reid explained while praising the role of MIST in the process.

For Barbadian children under the age of 16, a passport must still be used. Although the citizens of both the counties will now be able to travel using their national ID cards, they are still told to carry their passports. This is advised in case the flight has to be rerouted to another country.

Guyana’s Deputy Chief Immigration Officer expressed delight at the landmark initiative saying that it is a significant day for Guyana. He added that it is exciting to know that the citizens can travel from Guyana to Barbados and back without a passport.

To verify the authenticity of the ID cards, authorities use specialized lighting to check for hidden security features. This helps ensure that they are valid for travelling. The verification process is similar to the standard security protocols that are used for passports.

The travellers should complete both the Guyana Embarkation/Disembarkation form and the Barbados Online ED card before departure.

Barbados’ Chief Immigration Officer, Margaret Innis and Guyana’s Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Stephen Telford encouraged the citizens to use their ID cards for future travel between the two countries. They also urged other CARICOM Member States to join the initiative.