Approval procedures to be streamlined

The Ministry of Justice will carry out a pilot program to further streamline approval and license procedures, officials said in a policy briefing on Tuesday.

As many as 13 provinces and five State Council departments will join the program, and individuals or enterprises that go to these authorities and apply for approval will have to provide fewer certificates for the application.

Under the program, individuals and enterprises can fill out a written form and declare they qualify for certain approvals, instead of having to wait for authorities to issue certificates to prove the authenticity of their claims.

Administrative departments will grant approvals upon receiving such declarations in written form. They will check if the declarations are true via online information sharing systems and other means.

Zhao Zhenhua, director of the ministry's national supervising administrative law enforcement department, said the reform will greatly reduce the cost for people and enterprises to get approvals.

In order to lower the risk of false declarations, the plan for the pilot program stipulates it won't cover applicants with bad credit records or who have made false promises.

Authorities joining the program will also need to work out a blacklist system for people who make false declarations, revoking approvals granted to them and holding them accountable.