Africa-Press – Angola. The director of the Migration and Foreigners Service (SME), João da Costa Dias, assured, this Thursday, in Luanda, that the issuance of ordinary passports and documents for foreigners is being carried out within the deadlines established by law , without the constraints of the past.
When speaking during the 10th Edition of Café CIPRA about the impact of Simplifica on citizens’ lives, Commissioner João da Costa Dias pointed out that, as a result of the project, the SME is gaining a certain momentum and scrupulously complying with what the legislation determines.
The official appealed to users to go to the institution’s counters to process their travel documents, ceasing to use intermediaries.
According to the head of the SME, intermediation is sometimes what gives rise to “gasosa” charges or petty corruption.
“Today we are issuing passports within the deadlines established by law, 10 to 15 days and documents for foreigners are being issued within 20 to 25 days and we are extending these same documents by three to four days”, he explained.
Commissioner João da Costa Dias recalled that the SME experienced a critical moment at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2021, due to a lack of ballots for issuing passports, but the situation is now normalized, informing that, currently, the institution issues around 1,500 passports daily.
He explained that, within the scope of Simplifica, new technological procedures were used that made the issuance of any travel document faster.
More than 22 thousand passports to be collected
Commissioner João da Costa Dias made it known that there are around 22 thousand passports to be collected at the institution’s counters, noting that the body he heads has enough consumables to currently meet the demand.
Border control
He made it known that the education system is making a strong investment at the level of national borders, to control the mobility of people entering and leaving the national territory.
Visa exemption
The Executive recently approved a diploma that establishes a visa-free regime for citizens of several countries, and the simplification of procedures for granting tourist visas for certain nations.
In this regard, the director of the SME de-dramatized information according to which with this measure the country will be filled with foreigners.
“This narrative is completely false, there will be rules for visa procedures of this nature, which is a unilateral decision by the Angolan Government”, he stressed.
Simplifies, facilitates issuance of driving licenses
On the same occasion, the director of the Directorate of Traffic and Road Safety, commissioner Elias Livulu, informed that the issuance of Driving Licenses is already carried out in 17 provinces of the country, with the exception of the province of Lunda Sul, for structural reasons.
At Luanda level, he explained, the acquisition of this document can also be done through the Integrated Citizen Assistance Services (SIAC).
He highlighted that, from January to September 30, more than 163 thousand Driving Licenses were issued and, currently, the institution issues around 500 daily.
He made it known that the big challenge now is the implementation of the unification of the registration document and the car ownership title, which becomes the car’s single identification certificate.
The Executive, through the Secretariat of the President of the Republic for State Reform, promotes the implementation of the Simplifica project, with the aim of gradually reducing the excess bureaucracy in the handling of administrative processes and improving the public service provided to citizens and companies in State departments.
Currently, the level of implementation of Simplifica 1.0 is in the order of 76 percent, considering that 23 acts, out of a total of 32, are fully executed and will facilitate citizens’ access to public services, as well as reducing service time and responding to your requests.
Of the 99 planned measures, 75 are actually implemented within the scope of the Simplifica 1.0 project, approved by Presidential Decree no. 161/21, of 21 June, according to a press release0, created by Presidential Decree no. July has an execution rate of 37.1 percent, as seven of the 26 planned acts and 33 measures of the 89 planned were implemented.
The goal is to eliminate 121 requirements, of the 291 existing in the Public Administration, unify 13 documents that cover identical and transversal matters, extend the validity period of ten documents and licenses and integrate 20 procedures currently carried out by different services.
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