Trinidad and Tobago travellers face switch to e-passports with no set date or cost

Trinidad and Tobago has started the procurement process to replace its machine-readable passports with electronic passports, but the project's cost, rollout schedule and funding remain unsettled. Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander confirmed the move when questioned by opposition MPs during the Standing Finance Committee's examination of his ministry's allocations in the 2027 national budget on 21 October 2026.

Key facts

• Procurement for the e-passport system has begun, but no contract arrangement has been finalised.
• The project cost is unknown, and the number of companies invited to tender was not disclosed.
• An earlier estimate of $3 million was provided for the upgrade, while the revised estimate for 2026 was zero and no allocation is identified for 2027.
• The government intends to move all existing passports to the new system, in phases.
• The upgrade is intended to take place during the current fiscal year, subject to procurement being completed.
• In July, the minister said he expected the system to come online within a matter of months, and the new e-passport system was earlier expected to be rolled out in early 2027.

What is changing?

The country is moving from its existing machine-readable passport system to an e-passport system. Alexander described the e-passport as a modernisation upgrade with enhanced capabilities intended to improve security and to facilitate the identification of travellers before arrival. He confirmed the new passport will contain a microchip but said he did not want to disclose all the information about it.

Who is affected?

The switch is intended to cover every Trinidad and Tobago passport holder. Asked how many existing passports the government planned to convert to the new system, Alexander said, "We intend to change all," explaining that the transition would happen in phases. He could not say how long the process would take, and agreements with the successful provider would determine the quantities of passports produced and delivered over specific periods.

Why is the cost unknown?

Port-of-Spain North/St Ann's West MP Stuart Young questioned why there was no funding for the upgrade, noting the $3 million estimate, the zero revised estimate for 2026 and the absence of any allocation for 2027. Alexander said procurement had started but no arrangement had been finalised, so the cost remained unknown. He said funding would be placed under the relevant line item once procurement is completed, and agreed the government would have to return to the matter through the budgetary process or the mid-year budget review once arrangements are finalised.

Diego Martin North/East MP Colm Imbert also pressed the minister on the number of companies invited to tender, but Alexander declined to provide a figure.

What this means for travellers

There is no confirmed date for travellers to obtain an e-passport, and no fee has been announced. The implementation schedule depends on the completion of procurement, the finalisation of contractual arrangements and the identification of funding. Anyone planning to renew a Trinidad and Tobago passport should watch for further official announcements on timing and on how the phased conversion of existing passports will work.

Alexander confirmed it remains the government's intention to carry out the upgrade during the current fiscal year, subject to the completion of the procurement process.