APPLYING for a passport has become simpler and more convenient since the Passport Office shifted to Bahan township, those who have used the service in recent weeks say.
The new office opened on July 1 in a former Ministry of Home Affairs building near the junction of Sayar San and U Chit Maung roads. When The Myanmar Times visited the office last week, people applying for passports said security and signposting were better than at the old office on Pansodan Road and staff were much more helpful.
Under a new security system, no one is allowed to enter the premises without passing through a checkpoint, where a photo and National Registration Card (NRD) details are taken.
“It takes a while to queue but I don’t mind that because we have to line up properly. Unlike the old place, I don’t see many brokers in the office. I think it’s because of the tighter security measures,” said Daw Kyi Kyi, a 45-year-old accountant who had come from Dawbon township to renew her passport on July 12.
This was the second time she had renewed her passport since she received the first one in 2005. In the past many applicants chose to speed up the process by hiring a broker, which could double or even triple the cost of the passport, but at the new office more were taking the do-it-yourself route, including Daw Kyi Kyi. “I don’t mind waiting if the staff are doing their job properly and are nice to us. This time it is much easier for me to [apply] because I could get help from the office staff,” she said.
In contrast, Daw Kyi Kyi described her first experience applying for a passport as “a nightmare”.
“I was really stressed and unhappy when I tried to apply for a passport the first time; I couldn’t rely on the staff at all,” she said. “It wasn’t just me – they were rude to anybody who tried to ask for information about what to do. The worst thing was that the staff favoured people who offered them bribes. I felt so sick when I thought about going to the passport office again that when I renewed my passport last time I just hired a broker instead.”
A resident of Sanchaung township’s Myaynyigone quarter who had come to collect a passport she applied to renew two months ago at the old office said she noticed staff were more friendly. “That’s a good point but there are also bad points,” Ma Sandar said. “The old office was more convenient to get to because it was in downtown but the new office is only on the ground floor and less crowded so it’s better for older people – they don’t need to climb the stairway, for example. We have to welcome these improvements but I hope officials can continue to make improvements.”
Her friend, Ma Thin Thin Aung, who had come from Mandalay to apply for a passport, agreed.
“For example, we cannot take our bags inside with us. It’s good that they’re conscious of security but they should organise a safe and proper place to leave our bags. At the moment we have to pay K200 to leave our bag at one of the roadside shops and pray that nothing goes missing,” Ma Thin Thin Aung said.
She also said it would be preferable if all paperwork, such as the Pone San 17 and Pone San 19 tax declaration forms, could be completed at the passport office. “When I finish applying here I have to go to Bago to get my Pone San 17 form. ... Then I have to go to the tax office in downtown Yangon to get my Pone San 19 form,” she said. “It’s not convenient at all.”
U Kyaw Zan, who came from Myitkyina to renew his passport, said it would save applicants time and money if the government opened passport offices in each state and region instead of having only one office. “I’m sure all non-Yangon residents would agree with me on that,” he said.
Residents of quarters near the new office expressed mixed feelings about the move, as it has significantly increased the number of pedestrians and vehicles in the area. “Before the passport office opened here we had to wait a maximum of five minutes if we were caught at the traffic light [at the junction of U Chit Maung and Sayar San roads],” said Ko Kyaw Myo Aung, who lives on nearby New University Avenue. “Now, whether we have to wait for the traffic light or not, we are always stuck for 10 or 15 minutes.”
The new office opened on July 1 in a former Ministry of Home Affairs building near the junction of Sayar San and U Chit Maung roads. When The Myanmar Times visited the office last week, people applying for passports said security and signposting were better than at the old office on Pansodan Road and staff were much more helpful.
Under a new security system, no one is allowed to enter the premises without passing through a checkpoint, where a photo and National Registration Card (NRD) details are taken.
“It takes a while to queue but I don’t mind that because we have to line up properly. Unlike the old place, I don’t see many brokers in the office. I think it’s because of the tighter security measures,” said Daw Kyi Kyi, a 45-year-old accountant who had come from Dawbon township to renew her passport on July 12.
This was the second time she had renewed her passport since she received the first one in 2005. In the past many applicants chose to speed up the process by hiring a broker, which could double or even triple the cost of the passport, but at the new office more were taking the do-it-yourself route, including Daw Kyi Kyi. “I don’t mind waiting if the staff are doing their job properly and are nice to us. This time it is much easier for me to [apply] because I could get help from the office staff,” she said.
In contrast, Daw Kyi Kyi described her first experience applying for a passport as “a nightmare”.
“I was really stressed and unhappy when I tried to apply for a passport the first time; I couldn’t rely on the staff at all,” she said. “It wasn’t just me – they were rude to anybody who tried to ask for information about what to do. The worst thing was that the staff favoured people who offered them bribes. I felt so sick when I thought about going to the passport office again that when I renewed my passport last time I just hired a broker instead.”
A resident of Sanchaung township’s Myaynyigone quarter who had come to collect a passport she applied to renew two months ago at the old office said she noticed staff were more friendly. “That’s a good point but there are also bad points,” Ma Sandar said. “The old office was more convenient to get to because it was in downtown but the new office is only on the ground floor and less crowded so it’s better for older people – they don’t need to climb the stairway, for example. We have to welcome these improvements but I hope officials can continue to make improvements.”
Her friend, Ma Thin Thin Aung, who had come from Mandalay to apply for a passport, agreed.
“For example, we cannot take our bags inside with us. It’s good that they’re conscious of security but they should organise a safe and proper place to leave our bags. At the moment we have to pay K200 to leave our bag at one of the roadside shops and pray that nothing goes missing,” Ma Thin Thin Aung said.
She also said it would be preferable if all paperwork, such as the Pone San 17 and Pone San 19 tax declaration forms, could be completed at the passport office. “When I finish applying here I have to go to Bago to get my Pone San 17 form. ... Then I have to go to the tax office in downtown Yangon to get my Pone San 19 form,” she said. “It’s not convenient at all.”
U Kyaw Zan, who came from Myitkyina to renew his passport, said it would save applicants time and money if the government opened passport offices in each state and region instead of having only one office. “I’m sure all non-Yangon residents would agree with me on that,” he said.
Residents of quarters near the new office expressed mixed feelings about the move, as it has significantly increased the number of pedestrians and vehicles in the area. “Before the passport office opened here we had to wait a maximum of five minutes if we were caught at the traffic light [at the junction of U Chit Maung and Sayar San roads],” said Ko Kyaw Myo Aung, who lives on nearby New University Avenue. “Now, whether we have to wait for the traffic light or not, we are always stuck for 10 or 15 minutes.”
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