Taipei, June 29 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) will launch a new service next month that will enable citizens to apply for a passport without having to present paper versions of household registration documents.

Currently, passport applicants have to bring photos, their national ID card, and a household registration transcript obtained from their Household Registration Office.

Starting July 1, applicants can access an online platform called MyData (?????????) to apply for a digital version of their household registration information and use that with their application, MOFA said in a statement Tuesday.

Built by the National Development Council, the MyData platform at https://mydata.nat.gov.tw gives people one-stop access to their personal data held by the government and the right to send it to third parties for household registration, national health insurance, and other services.

According to MOFA, after verifying their identity on the platform, people can download their household registration information to a corresponding barcode and store it in their smartphone.

They can then take the barcode to MOFA’s Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) headquarters in Taipei or one of its four branches around Taiwan and show it to staff when filing a passport application, MOFA said.

It noted, however, that the barcode is only valid for a limited time and can only be used by people applying for their own passport or for a passport on behalf of a child under 18.

For more information, people can check the BOCA website at www.boca.gov.tw or call 2343-2807 ext. 8. On issues related to the MyData platform, one can log on to its website or call 0800-009-868.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel