He said that soon passport applications could be made online.

This is part of a ministry project to reform administrative procedures under Project 30 launched by the Prime minister. At present, the ministry is trying to simplify at least 30 percent of its total administrative procedures, according to a group working on the project.

Procedures in need of reform include the validity of passports for children and the need for police to confirm identities and backgrounds for those not working in State offices.

“The simplification of administrative procedures in the ministry is very important since they have much to do with foreigners and overseas Vietnamese (Viet Kieu),” said Ngo Hai Phan, deputy director of the Prime minister’s Task Force for Administrative Procedures Reform.