Songpa-gu Proposes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to 'Realize Passport Issuance Fees'

Songpa-gu, the only district in the nation with a dedicated passport department, formally requests the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to 'realize passport issuance fees'

Songpa-gu established the nation’s only ‘Passport Division’ in October last year, anticipating a surge in passport-related tasks after COVID-19 quarantine relaxations

Despite significant increases in agency costs due to staff augmentation, the passport issuance fee recovery rate remains at the 60% level

▲ Substantial increase in agency costs and establishment of international exchange contribution fee subsidy ▲ Increase in national treasury subsidies based on issuance volume

▲ Establishment of specific task execution expenses ▲ Request for incentives linked to improved civil service

Songpa-gu Passport Office

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced on the 27th that it has formally requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expand passport issuance fee rates and increase national treasury subsidies in order to realize the significantly rising necessary expenses involved in passport issuance, which is an agency task of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The district pointed out that despite the substantial increase in agency costs incurred on-site for passport issuance, the agency fees granted to local governments have not been raised even once in the 11 years since the Passport Act was amended in 2012.

Currently, it costs 53,000 KRW to issue a 58-page passport. Of this, 15,000 KRW is allocated as an international exchange contribution fee, and the remaining 38,000 KRW is split between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the issuing agency, the local government, at a ratio of 78:22. This means the Ministry of Foreign Affairs receives 29,640 KRW and the local government receives 8,360 KRW per passport processed.

According to the district, as of April this year, Songpa-gu’s passport revenue amounted to approximately 297 million KRW. However, personnel expenses and other operating costs incurred due to passport agency tasks totaled about 460 million KRW during the same period, resulting in a passport issuance revenue recovery rate of only 64.6%. In effect, the on-site staff responsible for issuance are covering all losses themselves.

Accordingly, the district has formally submitted four requests to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

▲ Expansion of passport issuance agency fee rate (from 22% to 30%) and establishment of an international exchange contribution fee subsidy (around 5%) ▲ Increase in national treasury subsidies based on issuance volume ▲ Establishment of specific task execution expenses (allowances) ▲ Provision of incentives linked to improved civil service.

In particular, the district drew attention by requesting incentives for establishing the nation’s only ‘division’-level organization dedicated to passport issuance, contributing to systematic task processing and improved civil service.

Earlier, anticipating an increase in passport issuance civil complaints following the lifting of social distancing measures due to COVID-19, the district reorganized its structure in October last year to establish the first-ever separate Passport Division nationwide.

With the establishment of the Passport Division, the civil service office has been expanded to simplify workflows, and additional personnel have been assigned to provide prompt and accurate civil services, thereby striving to enhance resident satisfaction.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official responded, “A research service is currently underway,” adding, “Coordination with the Ministry of Economy and Finance is necessary before the requests can be realized.” The district plans to review the research results and assertively advocate for acceptance of the requests through cooperation with other agencies.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, stated, “Local governments should not face financial difficulties while handling national affairs,” and added, “We will actively advocate for the realization of systems that can support efforts to provide customized civil services that satisfy residents.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.