Govt to begin online passport application system in July

Adianto P. Simamora ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 04/11/2008 12:19 PM  |  Headlines

Starting July, citizens will be able to apply for passports online using a website created by the Justice and Human Rights Ministry.

The ministry announced the planned online system here Thursday, calling it an attempt to speed up the application process.

It said that under the new system, applicants would come to the immigration office only for photo-taking, fingerprints and interviews.

“It is part of our efforts to cut brokerage practices and improve the service in making passports,” ministry head of logistics Ida Bagus Adnyana told the press.

“After the interview, applicants can check the status of their passports through the Internet.”

Ida said applicants would also be able to pay the passport fee by credit card or ATM transfer.

The ministry sets the fee at Rp 260,000 for a 48-page passport and Rp 110,000 for a 24-page one.

The ministry issues about two million passports every year.

Currently, to obtain a passport applicants have to apply in person at immigration offices and then wait three or four days, paving the way for illegal brokers to offer services to get passports finished faster.

Ida said the ministry would start building a computerized network in immigration offices across the country next month. “We have allocated Rp 108 billion to build the system.”

The government is currently hiring a private company to prepare a biometric system that has been used elsewhere since 2006.

The biometric system would scan fingerprints and the face of applicants to keep people from making multiple passports.

“It is also aimed to aid our preparation in implementing an electronic passport system,” he added.

The ministry reported it detected some 49,000 people involved in passport fraud attempts last year.

It said Indonesia could start issuing electronic passports known as e-passports, already used in Europe and the United States, in 2010.

The ministry has long been under pressure to boost the passport application service by cutting away the red-tape and brokerage practices.

A recent integrity survey by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) ranked the justice ministry as the worst state agency in providing public services.

The KPK also ranked the integrity of immigration officials the lowest in the country.

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The Reader (not verified) — Sat, 04/12/2008 - 6:41pm

I am very excited to see how it will be.... better or just the same in the term or service.

The Reader (not verified) — Sat, 04/12/2008 - 1:18pm

Sounds promising, really hope that there is no punglis at all during the interview, photographs and passports pickups.
BTW, what will be done in Indonesian embassies/ consulates/ representatives abroad? Will they have the same system as in Indonesia?

Widya UTAMA (not verified) — Fri, 04/11/2008 - 1:46pm

This step sound very promissing.
To get Indonesian passport in Indonesia have been dedicated to those "who can afford to pay" only.

Will this make it difficult to the officials to do "pungli"??

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