DOMINICA WILL spend $13m to improve and upgrade the border management system on the Caribbean island. The Minister for National Security and Home Affairs, Hon. Rayburn Blackmoore, made the announcement on August 24. Part of the budget will be spent on the servicing of biometric passports in this fiscal year, writes www.prnewswire.com.

The website reports that Blackmoore is confident that the initiative would help cultivate a watch list for persons of interest before they arrive in Dominica. It will also inform officials of passenger information, as well as cargo coming into the country. He emphasised that e-passports will enable the garnering of incomers’ fingerprints at the border and allow for the inspection of secondary information.

In March of 2021, we will be moving to new biometric passports in Dominica and Dominica will be the only country, except for the Bahamas to have those improved passports in the Caribbean, and that is development.

The Minister for National Security and Home Affairs, Hon. Rayburn Blackmoore

Noted

“The most important aspect in our border security improvement is our migration from the machine-readable passport to our e-passport or biometric passport, which is almost counterfeit-proof,” the minister noted.

“In March of 2021, we will be moving to new biometric passports in Dominica and Dominica will be the only country, except for the Bahamas to have those improved passports in the Caribbean, and that is development,” he added.

In addition to the new biometric passports, the government recently announced the approval of 231 properties it needs to acquire to build the island’s first international airport. The government has saved US$5m every month over the past few years from the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme specifically for the construction of the new airport.

Oldest in the world

Dominica’s CBI Programme is one of the oldest in the world, and its practices are seen as exemplary. The Programme enables reputable individuals to acquire second citizenship in exchange for an investment into the country’s economy.

After passing all due diligence checks, applicants can either contribute to the Economic Diversification Fund or invest in pre-approved real estate. Those who become citizens can enjoy rights of working, studying, and travelling to nearly 150 international destinations visa-free or with visa-on-arrival. CBI funds are used to transform Dominica’s economy and revitalise the quality of life of its citizens. 

For the last three years, Dominica has been ranked as the world’s best offering for CBI by experts at the Financial Times’ Professional Wealth Management magazine. The report highlights the Programme’s extensive due diligence procedures, affordability and efficiency as some of the reasons for Dominica’s CBI success.