Issuing passports online: A breakthrough for Hanoi Police.

With this new system, citizens can easily register from anywhere and at any time without having to queue as before. Importantly, passports will also be delivered directly to their homes...

With the approval of the Minister of Public Security and the direction of the Director of the Hanoi City Police Department, from March 20, 2014, the Immigration Management Department has been accepting and processing applications for ordinary passports online at http//hochieu.CAHN.VN.

With this approach, Hanoi is the first locality to implement the online application process for passport issuance and deliver the results to citizens' homes.

This is considered a breakthrough in administrative procedure reform, aiming to minimize burdensome procedures for the people, create the most favorable conditions for citizens when they need to carry out administrative procedures, and contribute to state management in all fields.

With this new system, citizens can easily register anytime, anywhere, without having to queue as before - Photo: Ministry of Transport.

Before the implementation of online passport issuance, residents of Hanoi who needed a passport had to visit the Immigration Department multiple times, fill out numerous different forms, and wait for various authorities to process and review their applications through complex steps, resulting in lengthy processing times.

Due to cumbersome procedures and people's reluctance to travel, "brokers" have emerged who are always on standby, luring people into losing money on services.

The Immigration Management Department's command center stated that previously, the unit received an average of 400-500 passport applications per day, and up to 800 during peak periods. Although since 2012, the Immigration Management Department's command center has emphasized serving the public until the last person of the day, ensuring no applications are left pending until the next day, in reality, there have been many instances where officers and staff have been overwhelmed with work.

After the Hanoi City Police Department implemented online passport issuance, citizens can download the application form from the Hanoi Police Department's Immigration Management Department website, fill in their personal information, and then press the submit button. The entire process takes no more than 10 minutes.

Afterward, citizens bring their identity cards to the online passport application department to have their photos taken and receive a verification form to complete the application process. After 8 days, the passport will be delivered to the citizen's home via express delivery service, if requested.

With this new system, citizens can easily register from anywhere and at any time without having to queue as before. Importantly, passports will also be delivered directly to the address registered by citizens, saving them travel time.

The launch of online passport application also reduces the workload for police officers.

This model does not require additional manpower, as the existing staff will handle this task. Specifically, in addition to issuing and renewing passports at 89 Tran Hung Dao Street, agencies, organizations, and businesses requiring passports for 10 or more people will also have staff sent to their location to process the applications.

After a period of implementing online passport issuance, Hanoi Police have received a lot of positive feedback from the public, due to the quick and time-saving procedures.

Ms. Do Thi Loan (Dan Phuong district, Hanoi) said: "This new approach by the Hanoi Police has helped people not only avoid multiple trips and travel costs but also save considerable time for themselves and their families."

Sharing on Facebook, Ms. Phuong Loan (Nguyen Khang Street, Cau Giay District) said: "Imagine if every day about 500 people lined up to get passports and 500 people came to pick them up, now you can just sit in one place and click a mouse, significantly reducing the number of people participating in traffic, reducing congestion, and reducing emissions into the environment…"

After more than a month of implementation, on April 29, 2014, the Immigration Management Department of the Hanoi City Police received a total of 13,606 applications, of which 7,671 (56.4%) were received online and 5,935 (43.6%) were received through regular channels. Viettel Post received 5,779 passports for home delivery and successfully delivered 3,378 passports.

Shortly thereafter, the Director of the City Police Department instructed that the processing time for issuing ordinary passports to citizens be reduced from 8 days to 4 working days.

Along with continuing to promote administrative procedure reforms in passport issuance, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department has also actively implemented administrative procedure reforms in household registration, national identity card issuance, and vehicle registration for cars and motorcycles.

According to Vietnam.net