Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - A series of new government policies on e-portal passportapplications, full automatic non-stop toll collections on the Hanoi-Hai PhongExpressway, reducing fees for chip-mounted ID, and abolishing foreign languageand informatics certificates for medical officials, come into effect thismonth.

A policy ofthe Ministry of Public Security that came into effect on Wednesday stipulatesthat the ministry will issue ordinary passports without electronic chips onlinefor Vietnamese citizens.

Vietnamesecitizens can access //dichvucong.gov.vn or //dichvucong.bocongan.gov.vn tomake an online declaration, pay the fee and receive their passports by post orcollect them at immigration offices.

The onlineissuance of ordinary passports is applicable to those residing in the countrywith a valid chip-based identity card or a valid 12-digit citizen ID card, avalid account on the Government Public Service Portal, and the ability to payonline fees.

People whoare not able to make online applications can still apply for their passportsdirectly at the immigration offices.

The moveaims to provide more convenience to people and promote the transparency ofpublic administration.

The grantingof ordinary passports through government e-portal aims to realise theGovernment’s project on developing a population database, e-identification, ande-authentication for national digital transformation in the 2022-25 period toserve administrative procedures and online public service provision, amongothers.

The fullautomatic non-stop toll collection (ETC) will officially start on the Hanoi-HaiPhong Expressway on June 1 under a new policy by the Ministry of Transport.

Vehicleswithout ETC tags or insufficient money in ETC accounts will be finedif they intentionally enter the highway.

Asregulated, drivers of such vehicles will face fines ranging from 2-3 million VND(86-129 USD) and have their driving licences withdrawn for between one andthree months.

The policygiving 50 percent discount on chip-based ID card fees by the Ministry of Financewill be invalid by the end of this month.

Under theministry’s Circular No. 112/2020/TT-BTC guiding the collection of a number offees and charges to support businesses and people during the COVID-19 pandemic,Vietnamese citizens switching from nine-digit, 12-digit ID cards or the IDcards with barcodes to chip-based ID cards will only pay 15,000 VND (0.5 USD) –half of the fee stipulated on the circular.

People willhave to pay 25,000-35,000 VND (0.9-1.3 USD) to have the ID card renewed.

The feeswill be doubled from July 1.

Also, theMinistry of Health’s regulation, which requires health workers to have foreignlanguage and computer skills certificates, will no longer take effect from June10.

Doctors andnurses are only required to have basic information technology skills and useforeign languages at an appropriate level, depending on the requirements in thestandards of professional competence of each rank./.