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Preventing Home Address Registration Errors
Varna Municipality
Background
After the recent amendments to the relevant legislation, civil registrar officers now have to process an additional third copy of address registration slips which residents file with the local police. When the forms reach the ESGRAON office, it is already too late to catch any errors or inaccuracies in the information supplied. Over time, this results in a build-up of registered home addresses which are simply not valid. The only feasible solution is to ensure that the registration slips are checked for errors at the time they are filled out in the first place.
After the recent amendments to the relevant legislation, civil registrar officers now have to process an additional third copy of address registration slips which residents file with the local police. When the forms reach the ESGRAON office, it is already too late to catch any errors or inaccuracies in the information supplied. Over time, this results in a build-up of registered home addresses which are simply not valid. The only feasible solution is to ensure that the registration slips are checked for errors at the time they are filled out in the first place.
Practice
To this end, a co-operative agreement was signed between the City and the District Directorate of Home Affairs (DDHA), part of which was to supply police stations with the valid list of street addresses in Varna Municipality in the form of an electronic data base. The data base is updated every two weeks or on an ad hoc basis as a new address is added or an old one is deleted.
Now, when people file their registration slips, the data can be processed immediately on the spot and any errors can be corrected both on the registration form and on the personal ID card. The data base is maintained by specially authorized local authorities, the Town Planning Services in each city district. The input from the police stations is consolidated at the DDHA level where a City officer updates the main City of Varna data base, processing some 350 registration slips a day. This results in shorter maintenance times and a reduced number of errors. For its part, DDHA has issued an internal order whereby home address registration can only be done electronically.
Stumbling blocks:
The first one to be overcome is convincing the local DDHA Director of the need for change. A good away around this problem is to approach the respective DDHA IT Officer.
Telling one address from another is sometimes difficult, due to unclear or duplicate names.
With the boom in residential development, the City has fallen behind in devising a system to prevent address registration inaccuracies on the city s outskirts, beyond town planning limits, where the addresses are not administrative but are based instead on the land survey grid.
Another possible nuisance is that the City Hall officer stationed at DDHA tends to be overwhelmed by additional tasks requested by the DDHA address registration people, which gradually results in a backlog of unprocessed registration slips.
To this end, a co-operative agreement was signed between the City and the District Directorate of Home Affairs (DDHA), part of which was to supply police stations with the valid list of street addresses in Varna Municipality in the form of an electronic data base. The data base is updated every two weeks or on an ad hoc basis as a new address is added or an old one is deleted.
Now, when people file their registration slips, the data can be processed immediately on the spot and any errors can be corrected both on the registration form and on the personal ID card. The data base is maintained by specially authorized local authorities, the Town Planning Services in each city district. The input from the police stations is consolidated at the DDHA level where a City officer updates the main City of Varna data base, processing some 350 registration slips a day. This results in shorter maintenance times and a reduced number of errors. For its part, DDHA has issued an internal order whereby home address registration can only be done electronically.
Stumbling blocks:
The first one to be overcome is convincing the local DDHA Director of the need for change. A good away around this problem is to approach the respective DDHA IT Officer.
Telling one address from another is sometimes difficult, due to unclear or duplicate names.
With the boom in residential development, the City has fallen behind in devising a system to prevent address registration inaccuracies on the city s outskirts, beyond town planning limits, where the addresses are not administrative but are based instead on the land survey grid.
Another possible nuisance is that the City Hall officer stationed at DDHA tends to be overwhelmed by additional tasks requested by the DDHA address registration people, which gradually results in a backlog of unprocessed registration slips.
Results
The practice has been in place since 1996 and so far, the number of errors in address registration slips has dropped dramatically. Two separate public service agencies (the Registrar Office and DDHA) have found a way to join efforts in providing better quality. Now, when the police are contemplating to give up the function of address registration altogether, the City is well prepared to take on its new responsibilities. The co-operative agreement between the two agencies has set a working model to be followed by other local governments.
The practice has been in place since 1996 and so far, the number of errors in address registration slips has dropped dramatically. Two separate public service agencies (the Registrar Office and DDHA) have found a way to join efforts in providing better quality. Now, when the police are contemplating to give up the function of address registration altogether, the City is well prepared to take on its new responsibilities. The co-operative agreement between the two agencies has set a working model to be followed by other local governments.
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