THE NEW Citizens’ Service Centre opens its doors today in Nicosia and is expected to save the public from hours of waiting and distress.
This will be the first organisation of its kind in Cyprus and the government hopes to expand the project to all Cypriot municipalities.
The same institution is in force in Greece and has proved to be an effective way of providing public service.
To begin with, the centre will offer services relating to the Population and Migration Archives Department, the Special Grant Services of the Finance Ministry, the Social Security Services and the Traffic Department.
Petros Christoforou, head of the Special Grant Services, told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that his department would offer a number of services at the centre and that a special employee would be at the public’s disposal.
“We will offer through the centre children grants, student grants, grants for the blind, one-off financial aid to families with a low income for car purchase, financial aid to people with disabilities for car purchase, mobility grants for the disabled.
“We will have our own office at the centre where we will hand out forms, give out information, receive forms and we will be connected to a central electronic system, which will make access to private information much quicker and easier.”
A spokesman for the Consumers’ Association said yesterday that although the centre seems like a good idea, it may be a different story in practice.
“If you haven’t seen something in practice, you can’t prejudge it. But it seems like a good service. Personally, I believe it’s all a bit ambitious, with too many services crammed into a small place. But I hope it is a success, because if it is then it will be a very helpful service.”
n The Centre will be situated on Kyriacos Matsis Street in Nicosia and will operate from Monday to Friday from 8am-5pm.
Among others, the Citizens’ Service Centre will offer the following services:
Issue birth and death certificates
Issue ID card replacements
Issue permanent residence certificates
Apply or reapply for passports
Apply for passport renewal
Apply to issue or replace ID cards for enclaved persons or families
Apply for voters’ books/change of home address/change of name
Apply to replace voters’ books
Child grants and extra child grants
Special grants for secondary education students
Grants for the mobility of disabled people
One-off financial aid for large families to help purchase a car
Financial aid for disabled people to help purchase a car
Special grants for the blind
Issue and renewal of drivers’ licences
Issue of international drivers’ licences
Applications for learner’s licence and driving test
Applications for grants (i.e. for illness, marriage, childbirth, physical damage, pensions)
Issue or renewal of professional drivers’ licences
