Help is at hand for Macao residents who have lost their travel documents while overseas, thanks to a new online assistance service launched by the Identification Services Bureau (DSI).
Residents aged 18 or above who have lost their travel documents can use the “Overseas Assistance – Lost Travel Documents in Journey” service on the “Common Access to Public Services of the Macao SAR” app.
Assistance can also be requested on behalf of accompanying family members including parents, a spouse and their parents and children aged five years according.
For identification, those requiring assistance must undergo facial recognition and upon entering further information into the system, each applicant will be issued an application number valid for 24 hours and an SMS verification code. They must then go to the selected Chinese overseas embassy or consulate to apply for a travel document by presenting the valid application number and verification code.
The embassy or consulate can confirm the identity of Macao residents without needing more information from DSI, accelerating the release of one-time travel documents to anyone needing to return to Macao.
The first phase of the online overseas assistance service applies to the embassies of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and the General Consulate of the PRC in Barcelona, The Macau Post Daily reported.
Residents requiring assistance while travelling abroad may call the 24-hour emergency hotline on (853) 2857 3333 or visit www.dsi.gov.mo/hotline.html for further details.
