-no walk-in applications will be accepted
GUYANA has taken yet another major step in building out its online government ecosystem, with passport applications now moving fully online.
In a video shared on Thursday, Stephen Telford, Senior Superintendent of Police and Deputy Chief Immigration Officer, announced that beginning October 1, 2026, all passport applications will only be accepted through the online application and appointment system.
The shift comes several months after the June rollout of the Online Appointment System and marks another step in the modernisation of Guyana’s public services, which is part of a broader effort by government to phase out long wait times and congested airport check-in lines.
Telford explained that the move to an entirely online system means Guyanese will no longer be able to complete walk-in applications and will instead be dealt with strictly by appointment.
“From the 1st of October 2026, we will now be accepting applications for passport only via the online application appointment system. We will no longer accept persons at any of the passport offices with persons walking in with the application, so you will now only be dealt with by an appointment,” he said.
The change addresses a problem immigration officials have flagged for years: large numbers of applicants showing up at passport offices, often overwhelming staff and creating backlog that led to long lines and crowds at offices nationwide.
Telford explained that the system gives applicants a new level of flexibility and convenience, letting Guyanese nationwide choose the passport office nearest to them and lock in a date and time that actually suits them. “That in itself allows you, the applicant, in the application process to choose which one of the passport offices you want to do your application at a date and a time that is convenient to you here in Georgetown or countrywide at the Government Services Centre,” he said.
He also used the moment to caution applicants against copycat sites, urging persons to stick to the official platform when attempting to apply for their passport.
“I would just want to alert you in the using of the online application platform. It is pp.gpf.gov.gy and please be careful as it relates to using of the URL that may be fakely placed out there,” Telford warned, encouraging Guyanese to go ahead and make their appointments.
“And then we will serve you,” he added.
For applicants who are worried that the switch might slow things down, officials said the system will cut down wait time due to a streamlined system. Standard passport applications are still expected to be processed within three working days, while expedited requests, remains available at an additional cost and can be turned around in as little as 24 hours, and sometimes sooner depending on the circumstances.
The Online Guyana Passport Application and Appointment System is one piece of a broader push to modernise passport services and clear long-standing administrative bottlenecks. Since its June launch, the platform has let applicants register secure accounts, fill out their forms electronically, upload the required documents, and lock in an appointment slot without ever having to set foot in an office first. Officials have pointed to built-in safeguards, including secure authentication and automated appointment confirmations, as proof the system was designed with both convenience and data protection in mind.
However, the modernisation of public services stretches well beyond passports. The removal of walk-ins fits into the government’s larger plan to fold all public services into a single “One Guyana” digital portal, a one-stop platform where citizens could eventually apply for passports, driver’s licenses and other official documents, all tied to a single digital identity, with a digital wallet to store IDs and certificates on their phones. This move, coupled with a number or other recent and ongoing changes, highlights that the immigration department, is only the most recent body to make the move towards a more modernised Guyana.
