Complaints about the lines at passport offices have become frequent recently. There are known cases when people have to approach the building from 5 o’clock in the morning, register themselves in the line, and then, according to the list they have made, take their line number from the appropriate device. The reasons for the accumulations are known: firstly, there is the seasonal factor, we need new passports and new stamps especially in the summer to go on vacation, and the second reason is the Russians in Armenia. By the way, I continue to insist that their presence in our country is a positive phenomenon, and the state should create favorable conditions for qualified personnel, including in terms of status.
Since I myself have dealt with the problem of lines in the Passport and Visa Department, I want to present my impression first. Having a line recorder certainly makes human communication easier. There are no arguments about who was behind whom. I picked up my ticket at about 10:30 am, I was number 192, and my turn arrived a few minutes before 5:00 pm. I can’t express any dissatisfaction with the employees of PVD. Everyone, including the police, calmly and smilingly answered the questions of hundreds of citizens. Perhaps it is worth installing air conditioners not only in the transaction hall itself, but also in the waiting rooms.
But, as in other cases, here too, I think, the solution should be institutional, that is, in the end, it is necessary to improve the legislation. Tell me, please, what is the purpose of the institution of stamping on the second page of the passport? I think it is a completely unnecessary bureaucratic hassle, which, as far as I know, does not exist in developed countries. If I get a passport for 10 years, that in itself means that my right to leave the country is for that period. According to my impression, 70 percent of those who stand in line suffer for those stamps. Probably, no one will refuse to pay 10 thousand drams at once and not have to deal with this problem again within 10 years. Of course, these steps should be taken along with improving the procedure of identification cards and biometric passports.
Overtired citizens standing in the queue approached me and asked me to address this situation, stressing that the provided service is paid. They are generally right that a paid service implies a certain convenience.
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Aram Abrahamyan
In the photo, citizens are “attacking” the building of the PVD after the break.
