More than 1,000 residents applied for the new identification cards at 31 authorised offices across Hanoi on the first day the city’s Police Department started issuing the cards, January 4.

Hundreds of people filled over 20 rows of seats in the waiting area at the Police General Department of Administration and Social Security (PC64) where they were instructed how to complete the application forms by the department’s officers.

Applicants waiting for their turns to file a new ID card application at the Police General Department of Administration and Social Security (PC64) in Hanoi.

Some 10-registration desks were set up where applicants were required to submit fingerprints and have their photographs taken.

The new 12-digit ID card contains basic personal details regarding the background and biometric information of a Vietnamese national, Nguyen Van Huong, deputy head of the ID Card office at PC64, said, noting that the applicants only need their household registers to file an application form.

Unlike “Chung minh thu nhan dan” – the current ID card, which is valid for a period of 15 years, the new one has the following terms of use: 10 years for people aged 14 to under 25, 15 years for those aged 25 to under 40 and 20 years for those aged 40 to under 60, Huong explained.

People aged over 60 are not required to renew their cards, he added.

PC64 has provided training for more than 200 ID card officers at district levels on the new procedures, the officer revealed.

Old ID cards will be clipped at the corner and returned in case people need them for proof of identity at banks, insurance agencies ect.

The new ID cards will be issued within seven working days, Huong said.

It aims to replace current household registers and may be used in the future as an alternative to a regular Vietnamese passport on the condition that bilateral agreements were reached with destination countries.

Source: VNA