Self-service machines in Guangzhou's smart entry and exit service halls are able to handle a variety of affairs. [Photo/ycwb.com]

Guangzhou has built 12 smart entry and exit service halls covering all districts in the city, announced the Guangzhou municipal public security bureau on Jan 7, allowing users to finish the whole process of handling entry-exit affairs on their own.

The service hall of Huangpu district has started to offer extended service hours to 21:30, which is expected to be offered by all service halls in the future.

These service halls have applied advanced self-service machines, which are the first of its kind in the country, allowing users to handle various affairs like passports, permits for traveling to Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as endorsement for Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

It only takes five to eight minutes to reissue or change certificates, cutting the waiting time for people by five to 10 times.

Guangzhou set up a total of 206 self-service stations for people to handle entry-exit affairs in 2019, of which 163 are open all day, a year-on-year growth of 690 percent and 1,154 percent respectively.

Seven entry and exit departments of district public security bureaus have been given the authority to handle visa services for foreigners, namely Nansha, Huangpu, Huadu, Haizhu, Tianhe, Baiyun, and Panyu. All seven departments handled 24,952 affairs for foreigners in 2019, accounting for 40 percent of the total number in Guangzhou, up 6.6 times than that in 2016.

Another four district departments, namely Yuexiu, Liwan, Zengcheng, and Conghua, are expected to be able to handle foreigners' visa service in 2020.

In addition, online reservation service has been offered for foreigners to handle affairs related to exit-entry certificates in Guangzhou to reduce waiting time. For example, the time period for foreigners' visa extension and recertification has been shortened from 20 workdays to five workdays.

Those applying for nine cases, including seeking outbound medical service, school attendance, employment, emergency business, and competitions, can apply for urgent services in Guangzhou.