Taipei: Only around 26,000 people have made use of an online passport renewal service since it was first introduced in September 2024, far short of the number originally projected by the government, a diplomat in charge of passport affairs said Tuesday. Chen Shang-yu, acting head of the Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mentioned that the number of people using the service remains very low compared to those who use the traditional in-person passport renewal process, without providing specific numbers.

According to Focus Taiwan, Chen's agency was also not able to provide an estimate of the percentage or the total number of passport renewal applicants from September 2024 to the present. The service was launched to streamline the passport renewal process, with BOCA estimating that it could benefit 200,000 to 300,000 passport renewal applicants each year once it officially rolled out in 2025. In 2024, BOCA issued 2.86 million passports in total. However, the requirement of a government-issued citizen digital certificate number for application was identified as a barrier to the service's popularity, Chen stated at a weekly press briefing.

Only around 4 million of Taiwan's roughly 23 million citizens possess the government-issued certificate, which is recognized in Taiwan as an official form of online identification. To encourage more citizens to use the online service, Chen announced that BOCA has decided to relax some of the restrictions. Starting in July, Taiwanese nationals whose passports are set to expire within six months will be able to apply for a new passport through the service. Previously, only those whose passports had already expired were eligible to use the online service.

Chen also noted that BOCA is in discussions with other government agencies to explore more convenient methods for online passport renewal while ensuring the protection of citizens' privacy. BOCA initiated a trial run for the service on September 3, 2024, allowing applicants to apply online and collect their new passport 14 days later at a designated BOCA office by presenting their national identification card and online application receipt.

After some previously imposed restrictions were removed, the service, officially launched in January, has reduced the waiting time to 10 days, down from the previous 14.