"Effective since Monday, the applicants could submit their documents through Whatsapp (a messenger application)," Lukman noted at the Immigration Office in Bogor City.
Apart from Bogor, the Whatsapp passport service was also launched in 26 other immigration offices across the country, such as Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi, Yogyakarta, and Central Java.
"In this age of technology, most people today use smartphones enhanced with Whatsapp messenger application (for not only communicating but also sharing information)," he added.
Hence, the Law and Human Rights Ministrys Immigration Office has adopted the application to improve the efficiency of services.
The applicants now can apply for new passports or renew documents by sending a message with the format "#name#date of birth#date of arrival" to +62 81111 00 333, according to Lukman.
"For instance, the applicants can send #Budi #25011987 #07082017 to our number," Lukman reiterated.
After registering, the Immigration officers will send a booking code to the applicants. After receiving the code, the applicants should reply for receiving a queue number and the appointment date at the office.
The officers will now be able to serve all applicants in accordance with their schedules set earlier by using Whatsapp, he remarked.
The applicants should arrive 30 minutes before their scheduled time at the Immigration Office. If the applicants are late, their booking codes will become invalid, Lukman added.
"If their codes were null, the applicants should again register through Whatsapp," Lukman said while suggesting that people should ensure the authenticity of their documents before submitting their papers at the Immigration Office.
"Our Whatsapp number, however, has not yet served applications for lost or damaged passports," Lukman remarked.
During the first day of the trial, services went smoothly as applicants arrived in accordance with their schedules set earlier by the office.
Abdul Kadir, an applicant from the city, admitted after using the application that the procedure now has become faster and more efficient than before.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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