Passport application now easier
( 2003-09-01 15:55) (chinadaily.com.cn)
Beijing residents can now get a passport in 10 days after presenting their identification and residency cards upon application, as the new passport policy taking effect on Monday.
Beijing residents queue up to apply for passport in the Beijing Public Security Bureau. [newsphoto.com.cn] |
Under the new "passport on demand" policy, applicants are no longer required to present written permission from work units.
The existing requirements had caused problems for many people who did not want their employers knowing they were heading abroad or because they were afraid their employers would reject their request.
"In this (new) case, people have their privacy better protected than previously,'' said Li Jing, 24, who hopes to travel abroad frequently in the future.
The Beijing Public Security Bureau, which handles passport applications, has added more offices in Haidian and Chaoyang districts to better process applications.The existing office in Dongcheng District will increase its capacity to handle applications.
Also, the form that people are required to fill in can be downloaded from the bureau's website or picked up at one of the three offices.
"The simplified process is going to save people time,'' said Su Qiang, an official with the bureau's Exit and Entrance Administration Department.
The bureau will even allow people to pick up their passports by using a courier, which means they can get it in eight working days, Sun said.
"However, there are still some people who cannot benefit from the new policy, considering national security and other interests,'' he said.
The department is now creating a database of people who will be restricted from using the new system.
China plans to extend this process to middle and large-sized cities before 2005.
The cities of Zhongshan, Shunde and Zhuhai in South China's Guangdong Province and Shanghai have already introduced the simplified system.
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