11 August 2021

Foreign nationals with missing or expired documentation encouraged to contact the government

Following on from the recent public meeting on the continued suspension of airlinks with South America, two issues that came to light were the number of people currently unable to travel, because they have not been able to renew their travel documents, and also the babies of foreign nationals born in the Falkland Islands during the pandemic, but who do not have documentation due to ongoing travel complications and restrictions.   

While residents with British passports can request emergency travel papers or renew expired documents with the support of Customs and Immigration, this is not currently the case for people from other nations, who are finding it difficult to book renewal appointments or to register the birth of new babies.

MLA Leona Roberts, Chair of the Legislative Assembly, said: “We were very grateful to everyone who attended the meeting to share their views with us, because it helped to give us a better understanding of how people are being affected by the suspension of the Chile and Brazil flights. We would now like to encourage anyone who no longer has valid travel documents, or has a new baby without documentation, to get in touch with government so that we can understand the scale of the issue and see what we might be able to do to support people caught up in the backlog.”

People with expired papers or passports, or those who know their passports are due to expire within the next three months and they will be unable to renew, are asked to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 27340. You will need to provide your full name, date and place of birth, passport number, passport issue and expiry date, issuing authority and country of origin. If you have a child without documentation, you will need to supply your full passport details as outlined above, as well as the full name, date and place of birth of the child, as well as the name of their mother and father.

The information you provide will be treated in confidence and used to determine how many people living in the Falkland Islands are impacted by ongoing restrictions due to Covid-19, and to assist in efforts to find a pragmatic solution for those affected. Also, for anyone in this situation, please be assured that the absence of a valid passport does not affect your ability to hold or renew a work permit in the Falkland Islands.