The Hanoi Immigration Department put its online passport application system into operation on Thursday, facilitating the process of applying for a passport by cutting the application time by at least 60 minutes, as part of the Vietnamese capital's administrative reform.

>> Vietnam opens online visa system, cutting visa issuing duration>> Foreigners to Phu Quoc to enjoy 30-day visa exemption>> Changes in US visa procedures in the offing This online passport service can be found at http://hochieu.cahn.vn., under the direction of the director of the Hanoi police department and the approval of the Minister of Public Security. Passport applicants can use this online service at home or at the department office at 89 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem District. The online passport system saves time for passport applicants, as there is no time spent queuing and waiting to register at the office, the department said, adding that it also reduces the work of relevant staff. After applying for a passport on the website, the online service system will grant applicants personal codes. After that, applicants must go to the department office, give their code to a staff member, and have their photograph taken. They will then be given an appointment to receive their passport. Along with the online service, the normal procedures for passport applications will be maintained to serve the elderly and those who do not know how to use the Internet, the department said. On the first day of the new service, 103 people used it while 231 others applied in person, the department added.At least an hour sooner On average, it takes 15 minutes to complete online registration, at least 60 minutes faster than it takes to register in person, an official of the department told An Ninh Thu Do newspaper.

The department receives 400-500 passport applications per day, the official said. On March 20, the first day of the new service, Nguyen Thi Huyen, a resident of Tay Ho District, told the newspaper that it took her about 10 minutes to complete her registration. “My husband asked me to come to the department early as he thought the registration would take me up to half a day. But everything has been completed very rapidly through the online registration system,” Huyen said. “It is civilized and effective to grant passports this way. Everything is easier as the process is automated. This is a good model that should be used in other State agencies,” Le Tuan Anh, who lives in Cau Giay District, said.

A week ago, also with the aim to simplify public administration procedures, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs debuted an online visa system, at http://visa.mofa.gov.vn, through which foreigners can register and fill out visa application forms online instead of having to visit Vietnam’s overseas representative offices to obtain the forms. Foreigners and Vietnamese who have foreign passports can also visit the website for information on visas to enter Vietnam or to check the status of their visa applications.

The website is available in four languages: English, French, German, and Vietnamese. This is the first time Vietnam has opened a website for online visa applications and unified the process of issuing visas for foreigners.