Shanghai police announced yesterday they will open two more passport-application offices next month in response to a rapid increase in the number of local residents traveling abroad.

The two new offices, attached to police sub-bureaus in Xuhui and Pudong districts joined the existing office in Hongkou District.

Application procedures will be eased at all three facilities for most local residents, Yang Naiguang, vice director of the exit-entry administrative office, said at a news conference yesterday.

Under the new regulations which go into effect on Sunday, applicants no longer need to supply a letter of reference from their employers or an invitation from overseas to travel abroad.

Instead, they only need to fill out a short form and show their ID card and residency permit. "However, students planning to study overseas, for example, will still need to supply a letter of reference from education authorities," said Yang.

Several other groups are also excluded from using the simplified rules, including convicted criminals and anyone currently involved in a civil or criminal court case.

"High-level officials in key departments" will have to go through a complex process to get a passport than com-mon citizens, police said.

"Normally, people can finish their application within two minutes in our office and then can receive their passport within 10 working days," said Yang.

Currently, 1 million locals hold a valid passport.

The city's efforts to relax regulations are part of a nationwide scheme to ease exit-entry procedures.

( eastday.com August 30, 2002 )