China will cut paperwork by sharing the basic information of citizens, enterprises and social organizations among city and online service halls across the nation, according to a document issued by four government departments.

Frequently used in administrative approvals, the basic information is currently not shared by related authorities nationwide, bringing much inconvenience to applicants, who have to submit the same paperwork at different windows.

As the first step, the Ministry of Public Security will share citizens’ basic information by the middle of next year.

For the sake of privacy protection, citizens’ information will only be shared within the government.

Officials can check them with permission from the Ministry of Public Security. Meanwhile, information of enterprises and social organizations can be available to the public.