KATHMANDU, Dec 28: Are you fed up staying in queue for hours simply to submit your applications at different government offices? And, do you also have a wild wish that your application could be submitted through your cell phone without having to visit those offices early morning, and staying in serpentine queue?
If yes, your wish is no longer going to stay as a far-fetched dream, at least in case of one of the government offices in Nepal. In fact, it is going to be a reality very soon if everything goes as planned by the Department of Passport (DoP).
The DoP, which has already introduced online live enrollment system through computer, is introducing a system to file your passport application through a mobile app.
Director General at the DoP Sushil Kumar Lamsal said that they are currently working to introduce the system within a week. “We are currently in a test phase. We plan to launch this system once we resolve some technical errors we are currently encountering,” Director General Lamsal told Republica.
DoP is currently developing a mobile application called Nepal Passport. How this mobile application works is very simple: You will need to first download Nepal Passport through play store in your smart phone. Once you have downloaded the application, you can fill up your personal details in it.
“This allows you to fill up passport application and submit it. Once you submit it, the mobile app generates a barcode, which you can either print or save as a photo, to show it to the concerned officials at the DoP,” said Lamsal.
Those filing application can even fix appointments online with the help of the barcode at the DoP for further processing including the payment of the application fee. The Nepal Passport mobile application will have a separate feature to fix appointments for further processing depending on the availability of time of the service seeker.
Officials said they have a long-term vision to allow service seekers to pay even application fee online once mobile payment system becomes easily available and accessible in Nepal.
The DoP has been introducing a slew of measures including facility to submit passport application online to make the service delivery quicker and effective. In November, 2015, the DoP launched online live enrollment centers (LEC), which has facilitated in submitting passport application online from various parts of the country, and Nepal's diplomatic missions abroad.
Smartphone app for filing passport application launched
