Bermuda residents needing visas to enter Britain must apply to the British Consulate General in New York from March 1.

Government House said this week applications in Bermuda would no longer be handled by the Department of Immigration.

The change was announced by UK Visa, the joint Home Office/Foreign and Commonwealth Office unit, which runs the UK?s visa service overseas.

Under the new system, applications can be made online, by post, or in person at the British Consulate General in New York.

To apply online, people must complete the online application form, submit and pay the fee, and then send their passport and supporting documents to the British Consulate General in New York by courier or mail.

Those who do not choose to apply online can send their application form and supporting documents, together with a US dollar money order for the fee and mail/handling charge, by the same means.

Courier or mailing costs are the responsibility of the applicant. Federal Express and DHL offer a two-day one-way service for about $30. Applicants will either include a pre-paid return envelope or the British Consulate General can return passports in the same time frame through Fed Ex. Payments for this must be included with applications. The normal processing time for mail is five working days.

Further information on how to apply, the fee and estimated processing times can be obtained from www.britainusa.com where applicants can also apply online.

Alternatively applicants are asked to contact the British Consulate General in New York at 1-212-745-0200. Those intending to visit the UK should check whether they require a visa at the UK Visas website www.ukvisas.gov.uk.

British Overseas Territory Citizens who hold BOTC passports do not need visas to enter the UK.