New policies to take effect in June

A citizen holds her chip-based ID card. The fees on ID cards will be doubled since early next month. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — A series of new government policies on e-portal passport applications, full automatic non-stop toll collections on the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng Expressway, reducing fees for chip-mounted ID, and abolishing foreign language and informatics certificates for medical officials, come into effect this month.

A policy of the Ministry of Public Security that came into effect on Wednesday stipulates that the ministry will issue ordinary passports without electronic chips online for Vietnamese citizens.

Vietnamese citizens can access http://dichvucong.gov.vn or http://dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn to make an online declaration, pay the fee and receive their passports by post or collect them at immigration offices.

The online issuance of ordinary passports is applicable to those residing in the country with a valid chip-based identity card or a valid 12-digit citizen ID card, a valid account on the Government Public Service Portal, and the ability to pay online fees.

People who are not able to make online applications can still apply for their passports directly at the immigration offices.

The move aims to provide more convenience to people and promote the transparency of public administration.

The granting of ordinary passports through government e-portal aims to realise the Government’s project on developing a population database, e-identification, and e-authentication for national digital transformation in the 2022-25 period to serve administrative procedures and online public service provision, among others.

The full automatic non-stop toll collection (ETC) will officially start on the Hà Nội-Hải Phòng Expressway on Thursday under a new policy by the Ministry of Transport.

Vehicles without ETC tags or insufficient money in ETC accounts will be fined if they intentionally enter the highway.

As regulated, drivers of such vehicles will face fines ranging from VNĐ2-3 million (US$86-129) and have their driving licences withdrawn for between one and three months.

The policy giving 50 per cent discount on chip-based ID card fees by the Ministry of Finance will be invalid by the end of this month.

Under the ministry’s Circular No. 112/2020 / TT-BTC guiding the collection of a number of fees and charges to support businesses and people during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnamese citizens switching from nine-digit, 12-digit ID cards or the ID cards with barcodes to chip-based ID cards will only pay VNĐ15,000 ($0.5) – half of the fee stipulated on the circular.

People will have to pay VNĐ25,000-35,000 ($0.9-1.3) to have the ID card renewed.

The fees will be doubled from July 1.

Also, the Ministry of Health’s regulation, which requires health workers to have foreign language and computer skills certificates, will no longer take effect from June 10.

Doctors and nurses are only required to have basic information technology skills and use foreign languages at an appropriate level, depending on the requirements in the standards of professional competence of each rank. — VNS