Bahrain's General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs (NPRA) has launched the new online passport renewal service in conjunction with the eGovernment Authority (eGA), through the National Portal (www.bahrain.bh)

This comes as part of the government's initiatives aimed at streamlining and simplifying the process for services across all government entities for citizens, said a statement from Interior Ministry.

This e-service allows citizens to apply for passport renewal and also enquire about the application status at any time round-the clock unlike earlier when the service was available only during the regular working hours at the NPRA.

Under the new system, once the status of the application gets updated, the applicant should come in person only once and that too for collecting the new passport after completing all requisite formalities and online follow-up.

The person can also submit requests for any family members - husband, wife, son and daughter, provided the other requirements indicated in the web page are met, the statement added.

Shaikh Ahmed bin Isa Al Khalifa, the assistant under-secretary for NPRA at the Interior Ministry, stated: "This co-operation with eGA is designed to increase process efficiency adopted by easing congestion and dissipating long queues, as part of our plan to put in place a vision for excellence to ensure the delivery of long-established corporate services based on competitiveness and high quality standards in the area of nationality, passports and residence."

He also highlighted the importance of launching the passport renewal e-service targeting wide segments of society and contribute to reduce operating and administrative costs, with full respect for privacy and security.

Shaikh Ahmed said the objective was to deliver comprehensive services and foster partnership with government entities, with a core focus on achieving excellence in the next generation of services and delivering high-quality and efficient services in line with the national strategic vision.
 
The passport renewal can be done six months prior to the date of its expiry and up to eight years after the date of expiry, provided that renewal for individuals over 21 years old should be each ten years, and renewal for individuals less than 21 years old is each five years, he added.-TradeArabia News Service