HAMILTON, Bermuda – The Bermuda government has told citizens that they should apply for a British passport “to avoid delays” if they need to travel urgently given the fact that they could expect a wait of up to 20 weeks for a Bermudan passport in the wake of the recent cyber attack.
An official statement said the Department of Immigration has resumed processing passport applications in the wake of the recent cyber attack that crippled government computer systems, but acknowledged that the attack had left the department with a backlog of applications.
“Unfortunately, there were over 450 outstanding passport applications that were in process just before the recent cyberattack, which prevented system access and the complete processing of these applications,” the statement said.
“While the systems were down, passport applications could not be processed. Despite being unable to access any systems, the Department of Immigration continued to process emergency medical passport applications, and staff members reviewed new applications for completeness and provided guidance to ensure completeness so they could be submitted once the systems became operational again.”
Last week, Premier David Burt said an investigation into the cyber attack that severely hampered the government’s information systems in September had found circumstantial evidence that personal data may have been exfiltrated.
But, Burt told a news conference that the authorities are still not clear if personal information held on the government’s computer systems had been obtained by the hackers.
The main opposition One Bermuda Alliance (OBA) has called for a Commission of Inquiry into the cyber attack, but Burt told reporters that in his view “the best place for this to be will be via the parliamentary process so that government backbenchers and opposition members are able to participate”.
In its statement, the authorities said the processing of applications is a priority for the immigration department, where two new staff members are expected to join the passport-processing team.
“Regrettably, while progress is under way, the Department of Immigration can advise that until the application backlog returns to normal levels, the processing timeline may take up to 20 weeks,” the statement added.
“Emergency passports are available. However, due to limited physical-book stocks, they are issued only when the applicant must travel overseas for urgent medical reasons. Individuals urgently needing a passport for non-medical reasons are advised to apply for a British passport to avoid delays.”
The ministry said it understands and appreciates these delays impact Bermudians’ ability to plan and book travel, but “can assure the public that the Department of Immigration remains committed to the task and asks for the public’s patience and understanding as they work to complete the processing of passports as soon as possible”.
