ED Cards test to be carried out this weekend

As Government continues to push forward in transitioning to electronic cards, necessary steps are being taken to ensure that the right system will be selected and used going forward.

A pilot study on the ED cards will be carried out this weekend at the VC Bird Airport. Once, successful a final decision will be made.

Cabinet Spokesperson Lionel ‘Max’ Hurst did however indicate that they would be able to give more information following the test this weekend.

A specific timeline for when this final decision will be made was not given. Initially, a December 31st deadline was shared for the initiative to be rolled out.

Three firms made proposals to Cabinet late last year.

An ED card, or Embarkation-Disembarkation card, is a mandatory online document that travelers must complete before entering certain destinations.

In presenting to Cabinet, all three firms addressed the capability of better marketing, improved research capability, and identification of persons of interest from any police database.

The Customs and Excise Division, The Immigration Department, the Inland Revenue Department, and Officials from the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Finance were all present to evaluate the proposals and to help the Cabinet determine which is the better-suited firm.

Several Caribbean countries have implemented this new form.

The Virgin Islands and Dominica were the most recent islands to step into the digital age. Both country’s systems went live last November.

They join other islands like Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Curacao, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Jamaica, The Bahamas, St. Maarten, and the Dominican Republic.

Turks and Caicos and Trinidad and Tobago are presently working on their portals.