Those who need to renew their Costa Rican passports and driver's licenses can now do so at Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) branches rather than waiting in long lines at Immigration or the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT).

The bank uses a digital fingerprint and signature, along with the required paperwork, to process these documents. Users also pay required fees during their appointments, which take 15-20 minutes, according to the daily La Nación.

Yesterday was the first day this service was available; as of Sunday, 10,300 appointments had been scheduled at BCR's 30 branches around the country, said commercial manager Alejandro Acón.

To make an appointment to renew a Costa Rican passport or driver's license, residents can call 800-227-2482.

The bank plans to be able to handle about 1,000 appointments per day and is considering increasing its capacity during the next few months depending on the demand for these services, the daily reported.

“This reduces the cost and time users have to invest, increases transparency” and puts an end to practices such as officials accepting bribes to expedite document renewal and users hiring people to stand in line for them, said Second Vice-President Kevin Casas.

This initiative is part of President Oscar Arias' administration's Digital Government program to use technology to speed up government processes, according to a statement from Casa Presidencial.

“This project is only the beginning of a profound transformation, the first step of a long journey. Today we renew licenses and passports, but there could be a day when medical appointments, government purchases, signing up for school, the processing of pensions, paying taxes to municipalities and many other trámites will be done sitting in our homes or offices, in front or our computer, or in a state bank,” said President Oscar Arias.