China will adopt a one-visit-only policy to streamline travel document applications nationally starting May 1, said Qu Yunhai, deputy director of the State Immigration Administration under the Ministry of Public Security.
People wait at the exit and entry administration hall of Nanning Public Security Bureau, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (File photo: China News Service)
Applicants for passports, and permits for travelling to and from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, can complete their applications with one visit to the exit-entry administration office.
Qu said individual applications for travel documents have tripled from 2008 to 2017.
The State Immigration Administration will simplify procedures to allow applicants to submit photos, fingerprints, application materials, as well as conduct face-to-face interviews and payments all at the same place and time. Currently, the five steps occur at difference places, making applications complicated and time consuming.
The administration will also make it easier to apply for travel documents, including deleting some materials that lack legal grounds. Applicants are also encouraged to make reservations on the Internet to speed up the process.
It will also expand the scope of processing emergency requirements for documents needed under a tighter time schedule to attend business meetings or receive education abroad for example.
