A policewoman helps a local apply for an electronic ID at the Changqing police station in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province, on Oct 10. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A police station in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province, has been experimenting with electronic IDs to make dealing with government affairs more convenient, according to the city’s Changqing police station in a statement on Oct 10.

Local residents may apply for their electronic ID using their physical ID cards. The electronic IDs can be used to deal with 126 governmental processes involving household registration, residence permits, vehicle administration, and entry and exit administration in the Hangzhou area.

The move has been promoted around the city since June this year and 110,000 electronic IDs have been processed in Zhejiang, according to Yang Yihua, deputy director of the Changqing police station, the first station in Hangzhou to implement an electronic ID system.

One of the most convenient things about electronic IDs is that they allow local residents to entrust other people to handle government affairs on their behalf.

Chen Yu, deputy director of the Big Data Administration Bureau in Zhejiang, said that the electronic ID piloted at the Changqing police station is of great significance, as it is a major step toward turning the “At Most One Visit” system into a “No Need to Visit” system, which can then be replicated throughout Zhejiang.