The Public Security Ministry is to launch a new measure requiring all passports to be issued within 15 days of applications being submitted.
The new policy has already been implemented in Beijing and will be promoted nationwide, according to the Beijing Morning Post yesterday.
The ministry has also instructed visa offices to remove their window sills and lower their counters to 'provide friendly service'.
Last Wednesday, the authorities announced that people in major cities such as Shanghai, and Zhuhai and Shunde in Guangdong could, from January onwards, apply for passports by presenting their identity cards or city residency documents.
In the past, a citizen had to present documents including an invitation letter from his or her foreign host, bank statements, and an approval paper from his or her employer or the neighbourhood management committee when applying for a passport.
The simplified procedure was one of six measures announced last Wednesday to ease restrictions for mainlanders to go abroad and encourage foreign professionals and investors to reside in China.