From today, the Population and Immigration Authority is allowing a large proportion of people seeking to apply to renew their passports or identity cards to do so online, via the government identification system, and to save having to go to a Population and Immigration Authority office. The Authority hopes thereby to shorten queues at its branches for those who do have to turn up in person.
The change follows legislation sponsored by Minister of the Interior Moshe Arbel (Shas). Last year, a huge backlog arose in dealing with applications for passports and passport renewals. The Population and Immigration Authority had to introduce a ‘passport marathon" in which people could turn up at its offices without an appointment. Together with extra staffing, this enabled some 400,000 passports to be issued within two months, relieving most of the backlog.
That, however, was only a short-term solution. For the long term, the Population and Immigration Authority initially examined the use of automated passport machines, but that project did not take off in any substantial way. Rather what was needed, as Arbel told "Globes" at the end of the ‘marathon", was remote issuing of passports and identity cards via the Internet, and this is now going ahead, at least for some people.
The facility is offered to Israeli citizens aged 18 and over who are present in Israel when they submit their applications and have already registered biometric data, including fingerprints, at the Population and Immigration Authority. The Authority says that the system will enable enquirers to find out whether they fulfil the conditions on entering it. Even then, a passport will be valid for five years only, and changes in passport details will not be possible. Each family member will have to submit a separate application.
A passport issued or renewed using the online system will not be usable to obtain a visa waiver for entry into the US, as this requires a passport valid for ten years.
Online applications can be made via the Population and Immigration Authority website.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on April 30, 2024.
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