New rules aid applicants who plan overseas trips

Application process for travel documents to be made simpler

Mainland residents who need a passport or a permit for travel to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, will be able to complete the application process at any entry and exit office nationwide starting on Sept 1, the State Immigration Administration said on Tuesday.

Currently, individual applicants living somewhere other than the place of residence indicated in their hukou, or residence permit, often found it necessary to return to their hometown to get a passport or travel document, because a person in another province requires proof of address, employment, study and kinship, Qu Yunhai, deputy director of the State Immigration Administration, said during a news conference in Beijing.