The legislative draft, according to which citizens will be able to receive documents in electronic format without having to go to the headquarters of diplomatic missions or consular institutions, was submitted to the parliament by deputies of the diaspora of the Ukrainian SSR, Radu Mykhailo and Yulian Lorints, together with members of the Committee on Foreign Policy in the Senate, reports Agerpres.

According to the press release of the UDR, the legislative initiative concerns increasing the level of digitalization of consular services.

The project provides that documents can be sent to beneficiaries electronically or sent to them by courier services. They can still be picked up in person at diplomatic or consular missions. Employees of the consulate will also be able to use electronic signatures.

• “A request for consular services is submitted in person or, depending on the circumstances, sent in electronic format. Depending on the type of consular service requested and the choice of the owner of the request, documents issued in the framework of consular activities are collected in person or, depending on the circumstances, sent by courier” service, delivery costs are paid by applicants, or transmitted in electronic format after execution and signing with a qualified electronic signature. Categories of consular services that can be requested are provided in electronic form, issued documents that can be sent by courier services, order submission and resolution of relevant requests, as well as any other related issues are established by the order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs”, normative act of the state.

Also, “diplomats with consular powers and consular officials should use qualified electronic signatures in appropriate cases,” the draft states.

Senator Radu Mykhailo stated that “it’s time for Romanians from the diaspora to stop spending hours traveling to consulates.”

• “I proposed these simple measures after discussions with Romanians in the diaspora and as a result of extensive consultations with officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior and with the participation of the President of the Senate Foreign Policy Committee, Titus Corlăţean. They can be implemented only by expanding the digital tools that are already at the disposal of the Ministry, and do not require additional costs from the Romanian state, on the contrary, it will be possible to save. This practice of traveling hundreds of kilometers to get a document should be a thing of the past. Romanians’ relationship with the administration can be clearer and easier, especially with the help of technology and digitization,” Mihail Radu said, according to the quoted source.

Currently, Romanians outside the country, who need various documents and papers, are forced to go to consulates, despite the distance they have to cover – tens, sometimes hundreds of kilometers, states the USR.

The project was signed by parliamentarians: Roberta Anastase (PNL), Titus Corlecean (PSD), Adrian Costea (AUR), Alfred-Laurentiou-Antonio Mihai (PSD), Rada Mykhailo (USR), Levente Novak (UDMR) and Stefan-Julian Lorinz (USR ).