More often than not passport is the only identity document of a Nepali citizen living outside Nepal. Thus, Nepal government is expected to facilitate easy passport provisions like ease in issuing, renewal and amendment for non-residential citizenry. But my recent encounter with the national passport-issuing agency proved otherwise.

Following the promulgation of Information Technology Policy 2010, which promotes the effective and inclusive implementation of e-governance, the government has taken an initiative of issuing Machine Readable Passports (MRPs) for all its citizens. By November 24, 2015, MRPs are expected to replace all the handwritten passports. Aware of that rule, I decided to apply for the MRP well in advance. Looking back, I feel relieved that I chose to do so, since it took approximately six months to get my new passport, and not to forget, many two-hour-long round-trips for six times to the Nepali Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. 

It’s appreciable that the government is facilitating online filling of application form. However, I felt disappointed that there were no provisions for online submission. Moreover, I had to pay a separate visit to a bank to issue a money order of CA $ 185, thrice the amount for the same service in Nepal. Since I had mistakenly printed my application form in a letter format and not A4, the embassy personnel asked me to fill it out by hand. After submitting the form along with the supporting documents, my long wait for the MRP began. 

The dates showed that my passport was issued a month and a half after the form submission. However, I got a call from the embassy for passport collection only after approximately three months. For the collection of the new passport, my old one needed to be cancelled. Alas, the citizenship number on the new passport was wrongly printed and I had to return it for correction. I was told that it would take another three to six months to get my corrected passport, depending on whether I had incorrectly filled the original form or the Department of Passport (DoP) official had incorrectly copied the citizenship number from the form. Now my wait became uncertain; I would either get a notification after three months attributing the fault to my incorrect form-filling or receive my corrected passport. In the former case, I would have to reapply all over again including repayment, making the whole process last for nine months. 

This was surprising for two reasons. First, I had submitted all the supporting documents along with the form and it should be the standard practice in the DoP to ensure that all names, numbers and information provided by the applicant match the same in other official documents provided along with the application. And second, I had to wait for three months just to hear the decision on the responsibility of the error. The whole process was ridiculous, but I could do nothing but silently accept it all. I must admit it was scary when I realized the dangers of such an inefficient bureaucracy; in absence of a legal passport, I would be without an official identification document for the entirety of that period. To add to my plight, all my immigration paperwork needed immediate renewal and I couldn’t collect my health card. 

After a wait of another three months, I contacted the embassy to find via DoP’s Facebook page that the MRPs of applicants in Canada were shipped from Nepal. I was happy and equally alarmed to hear from the receptionist that they had received the MRPs a couple of days ago and I would still have to wait for a call from the embassy to finally be able to collect it. On my next embassy visit, I was stunned with the book-keeping of the office and the punctuality of the staff. At 10:30 am in a weekday, there was only one person in the embassy who, along with me, searched at least a dozen cabinets of different offices until my passport was found. 
Their errors and delays can be easily avoided if the tools of e-governance promoted by the IT policy are implemented for essential services like MRP. After years of introduction of the e-governance, MRP issuance is still in primitive stage, with limited online interactions that includes availability of basic information and application forms in the DoP’s website. Such primitiveness can be attributed to unmotivated government employees and high illiteracy rate of Nepal.

When it comes to service delivery, DoP has failed to cash in on available acts, policies and technology advancements. Supporting provisions, such as acceptance of digital signature and online transfer of money have already been made possible by the Electronic Transaction Act, 2006 and the Electronic and Digital Signature Act, 2006. If only the forms and photos could also be submitted online, all the transport delays and unnecessary visits to the embassy/bank could be avoided. 

It would save both the applicants and officials a lot of time and effort if the MRP goes online gradually, while also retaining the paper-based application system. Moreover, in foreign countries, where many services like online banking have been tried and tested for many years, it cannot be that hard for our government to at least take the first steps towards proper e-governance, beginning with its consulate offices and embassies. The adoption of e-governance in MRP will not only render enhanced citizenship experience but also help reduce costs (in terms of both time and money) for offices and applicants. 

Moreover, if staffs are trained on and equipped with proper administrative skills, including on office management software and book-keeping, service delivery will also improve significantly. 

If online tracking of application is a lot to ask for, then the information on the status of MRP should be posted at regular intervals on the official DoP website. A well-updated website is a sign of a healthy system. A small effort of the government can make service delivery lot more convenient for the Nepali citizenry.

Published on: 22 September 2014 | Republica