Simplified visa and driving license¹ application procedures are set to make life easier for foreign visitors to Beijing.

The improvements are part of a package of 24 administrative² measures introduced yesterday by the municipal public security bureau.

From now on, certain foreigners will be able to use a "green channel" to apply for visas, which will cut the processing time from five working days to three.

To qualify for the speedy service applicants³ must hold relevant certification proving he or she is entering Beijing to: attend a meeting, execute a contract, test first aid equipment, carry out engineering maintenance, visit a seriously ill patient or arrange a funeral.

The elderly, children, the sick, pregnant women and disabled people can apply for the emergency visa as well.

Meanwhile, the bureau will handle visa and residence permit formalities at a given time and place for foreign employees of major foreign-funded firms in the Zhongguancun science and technology park, the central business district and the Beijing economic-technological development area.

"As Beijing tries to become an international metropolis⁴, more and more of our overseas friends are going to come here," Liu Shaowu, deputy director-general of the bureau told China Daily yesterday.

"So police in the capital have to offer a better class of service," he said.

Gao Huada, vice-director of the exit-entry administration, said: "We brought in the new measures based on our experience during the Beijing Olympics.

"In the future, we will improve our efficiency to provide a better service for foreign guests."

Also from today, foreigners who visit Beijing for no more than three months can apply for a local driving license on the first floor of terminal 3 at the Beijing Capital International Airport.

Questions:

1. What will the new processing time for a visa application be?

2. Besides foreigners, who else can apply for the emergency visa?

3. Where can foreigners apply for a local driving license, provided they visit Beijing for no more than three months?

Answers:

1. Three working days.

2. The elderly, children, the sick, pregnant women and disabled people.

3. On the first floor of terminal 3 at the Beijing Capital International Airport.