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The public will enjoy greater convenience by having electronic access to a range of births, deaths and marriages (BDM) registration services under the Births, Deaths and Marriages (Digital Image) Bill to be gazetted this Friday (February 24).
The Bill provides for legislative amendments to BDM-related ordinances to enable the Immigration Department to maintain the BDM registration records and to process related applications electronically.
"As a continuous effort to improve the service to the public, the department aims to move to a highly efficient mode of operation, which will enable business transactions to be conducted digitally with the availability of electronic records. It will also enable the public to submit certain applications electronically and shorten the processing time for such applications," a Government spokesman said.
"We aim to introduce the Bill into the Legislative Council on March 8," he said.
When the Bill is passed into law, a person may, for instance, apply for a certified copy of BDM registration records electronically with a faster turnaround time.
"Members of the public will also be able to enjoy most of the services round-the-clock by means of e-booking of appointment, e-submission of applications, and e-payment of service fees. They can also check the progress of their applications and obtain feedback from the department through electronic means," he said.
While the BDM services will be provided electronically, customers will have the option to apply for such services through traditional means.
Ends/Monday, February 20, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:50
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