Bermuda passports have undergone “a significant improvement in processing times”, the immigration department has announced.

The Ministry of Economy and Labour issued a warning in 2022 of passport-processing times of up to 20 weeks, versus a typical wait of about 11 weeks.

The department said today that first-time, lost or stolen passport applications would now get processed within six to eight weeks, while renewal applications would go through within four to six weeks — thanks to “recent operational enhancements” at home.

British Overseas Territories Citizen Bermuda passports continue to be printed in Britain, but the department said its “local process improvements have streamlined turnaround times”.

It was hailed as “a major achievement” in the wake of the restoration of Bermuda’s BMU country code in passports last year.

The code had been switched over to GBR, the code for Great Britain, when British officials took over responsibility for printing passports in 2016.

The coding flaw led to almost eight years of travel problems for Bermudians entering the United States

The department thanked the island’s public for its patience while the issues were resolved.

Details about passport applications can be found at the department website or by calling 246-8093.