Sofia Passport Offices Extend September Business Hours

Glitches in Siemens software for the new Bulgarian biometric IDs caused public outrage and forced people to line up for days in front of passport offices. Photo by BGNES

The passport offices in the Bulgarian capital Sofia will be open 15 hours a day, beginning in September, the Interior Ministry informs Friday.

The offices will double their business hours after the end of the summer holiday season over the still staggering demand for new passports, ID cards and drivers licenses. The counters will be open non-stop from 6 am to 9 pm on weekdays. The Interior is hiring 40 new temporary workers.

Each morning a police officer will appear at 6 am to give numbers to those waiting in line.

Following its launch on March 29, the new electronic system for issuing personal identity documents, including biometric data passports, was overwhelmed by the number of users online and temporary and sporadic delays in servicing citizens’ needs occurred, with the Interior blaming mostly the German Siemens, which manufactured the software.

In an attempt to eliminate the long lines, the Interior decided to keep passport offices open on Saturdays in the month of July. A new boom is expected for November and December when many Bulgarians will realize their ID documents are expiring.

It is estimated that 1 million new id documents have been issued so far.

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