Liangjiang New Area has modernized the way local residents renew their national identity cards, creating a new model for local government service provision, according to Liangjiang New Area public security sub-bureau on March 7.

Residents who want to renew or reissue second generation ID cards can now do so automatically using a camera and automatic application machine. A machine will later produce a new ID card for them.

A staff member from Liangjiang New Area public security sub-bureau helps an applicant to use a photo booth. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

Residents used to take their household registration booklet to the local branch of the public security bureau on weekdays and sometimes have to wait in long lines to get the process completed. However, the new process can take as little as three minutes, as long as the applicant has their ID card number to hand. The new ID card will then be ready for collection five days later.

A staff member from Liangjiang New Area public security sub-bureau introduces the new automatic ID card system to a local resident at Renhe police station in Liangjiang New Area. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

After the new automatic service was put into operation, some 321 people applied for a new ID card using the new process, and 3,229 residents received their new card through this new system during a two-week period.

Authorities claimed that the automatic service system is currently only available at the area’s Renhe police station, but will be put into use in other busy police stations across Liangjiang New Area.

Applicants can use Alipay and WeChat to pay for their new ID cards using the automatic application machine. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

Edited by James Skinner