ST. GEORGE’S, GRENADA – Grenada has taken a significant step to enhance border security and improving traveller experiences at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA) through the digitisation of key immigration systems.

On March 6, six automated passport control kiosks were commissioned to record and process Grenadian and CARICOM travellers entering Grenada, as well as Canadian, EU, UK, and U.S. nationals arriving for vacation. The addition of the kiosks brings the total count at MBIA to nine. The machines are expected to shorten processing time to 30 seconds per traveller.

Data recorded at MBIA, which assessed the performance of the three original kiosks relative to live personnel, reveals a marked difference in the efficiencies of the manual and automated systems. “When we looked at our fastest officer at the airport for the month of February, we were able to clear more than 3,000 travellers. The kiosk machines processed more than 6,000,” said ASP Eylan Purcell, head of the Immigration and Passport Office.

Quick processing time isn’t the only benefit of the kiosks. Accuracy in data collection and the timeliness of the collection will help immigration officials better identify and manage potential or actual security risks posed by travellers entering Grenada or moving throughout the OECS Union.

The latter is possible as the implementation of the kiosks form part of a larger Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) initiative seeking to improve border security. Through the Regional Integration through Growth Harmonisation and Technology (RIGHT) Programme, funded by the European Union (EU), OECS Member States are supported to establish and operationalise a harmonised Border Management System (BMS).

Speaking at the commissioning of the six kiosks, OECS Director General Didacus Jules emphasised the importance of investments in border security. “The governments of the OECS and the commission have prioritised the implementation of automation at ports of entry for several reasons: to strengthen border security, reduce cases of border security infringements, improve data collection, enhance tourism competitiveness through reduced passenger wait times, and make ports of entry more traveller-friendly.”

Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell, who also attended the ceremony, commended the OECS and the EU for their investment in border enhancement. He expressed optimism that the kiosks and overall digitisation would significantly improve the travel experience for both visitors and, importantly, Grenadian nationals.

Urging Grenadians to embrace the change, he stressed the importance of leveraging automation and technology to overcome infrastructure limitations and improve efficiency.

“For small economies like ours, the deployment of automation and the use of technology is perhaps the single biggest advantage we can use to overcome some challenges that otherwise would not be surmountable. I want to urge our citizens to use them. These kiosks will certainly make life easier and allow us to redeploy some of our immigration resources to better use,” he said.

The introduction of the kiosks is one of the initiatives accelerating regional integration and transforming border management in Grenada. Next on the agenda is the digitisation of the Embarkation/Disembarkation (ED) cards, which, like the kiosks, will also improve the accuracy and timeliness of data collection.

This initiative will allow travellers to Grenada to complete and submit their entry forms online before arrival on the island, a significant departure from the current manual system that requires travellers to fill out the forms by hand and present them to border officials upon arrival.

“We will now be timely with our data,” said ASP Purcell. “At present, after the traveller exits the airport, we have to manually enter data from the hard copy. Sometimes it is difficult to interpret the penmanship, which presents a challenge.”

The format of the ED card will remain the same, except for the addition of fields requiring travellers to provide email and telephone information. The official start date for the digital system is yet to be determined, as efforts continue to ensure the system meets the needs of both the immigration and customs departments.

Once finalised, a separate launch will take place to inform the travel market and other stakeholders about the transition to online ED cards. As for the digitisation of entry systems at Grenada’s seaports, this will commence once funding is secured to support the process.

As Grenada continues to modernise its travel infrastructure, these advancements signal the country’s commitment to enhancing security, improving service delivery, and reinforcing its position as a leading entry point within the OECS region.