Sofia Passport Offices Open over Weekend

The new passports not only have a new design, but will introduce the long-delayed biometric data, originally scheduled to be in use before the country joined the European Union (EU) in January 2007. Photo by SPA

Оrders for the issuing of Bulgarian biometric passports in Sofia will be accepted over the weekend as well, the interior ministry announced.

It is still not clear until when the scheme will be applied, with the statement saying that would depend on the demand.

The ministry called on the citizens to apply for that service only if that's urgently necessary in a bid to avoid a new crash of the system.

Following its launch on March 29, the new electronic system for issuing personal identity documents was overwhelmed by the number of users online and temporary and sporadic delays in servicing citizens’ needs occurred.

The system was set up to assist with the issuing of new identity cards and driving license as well as international and biometric passports.

The electronic system was launched according to schedule, opening simultaneously in 183 offices in 28 regional departments around the country, with an additional 30 locations for customizing data.

The public response to the new service had, however, resulted in some overloading of the system in some regions, resulting in access and processing delays.

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