Applying for passports and other government documents is a huge struggle for many Americans. People need to spend much time and effort filling numerous online forms and waiting in long queues, resulting in only 56% of US adults holding valid passports, with figures skewed mostly towards urban than rural residents. This complicated and confusing process takes significant time out of people’s busy days.
Innovator and tech entrepreneur Guy Lelouch has experienced this firsthand. Shortly after he moved from France to the US, Guy needed to obtain an Employer Identification Number for his business, but it was a weekend and the federal website was closed. This frustrating experience with government applications inspired him to find a better way. He believed that not accepting applications on a weekend defeated the purpose of having a website at all, so he created a program that would be able to complete this process anytime.
Soon after, Guy and business partner Katie D’Amore worked on similar projects, and they realized they needed to consolidate these solutions into a single platform, leading to the creation of the digital startup GovPlus.
Having grown up admiring the entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley and the technologies they’ve invented, Guy dreamed of creating something that provides greater convenience to people’s lives. GovPlus presented him with that opportunity.
According to Guy, GovPlus challenges the outdated status quo by offering an innovative and paperless method to complete, submit, and track their government applications. It currently offers six different document applications – passports, birth certificates, Employer Identification Numbers, Social Security cards, address changes, and airport check-ins. More offerings are in the pipeline for the near future, making things much more convenient for users.
The platform’s intuitive interface and patented auto-fill technology streamlines the document application process, allowing users to quickly retrieve information they’ve previously entered, eliminating the need for repetitive data entry. It also has a dashboard that enables users to track all their applications with ease. GovPlus provides several other services such as online notary, digital signatures, online passport photo, and secure online fee payments, replacing traditional cheque or money order payments.
One pain point that GovPlus brilliantly solves is the passport photo process. Instead of having to visit a photo studio, users can take a selfie using their smartphone and upload it to the platform, where AI technology transforms it to fit State Department requirements. This saves so much time and effort, especially for users who live in rural areas, sparing them a drive into town.
According to GovPlus, government agencies appreciate the exceptional quality of applications submitted through its platform, which results in fewer backlogs and faster application processing. Using GovPlus helps optimize government resources by accelerating the processing of all US applications and saving taxpayer dollars. Since its founding, GovPlus has saved more than 1.4 million hours of users’ time. Its digital processes have also had a positive impact on the environment, with more than 170,000 trips to government offices eliminated, saving more than 230,000 paper forms and reducing carbon emissions by over 520 tons.
Because it handles sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII), GovPlus places a premium on data security. It uses bank-level, 256-bit TLS encryption, as part of a robust suite of technologies and procedures to provide additional layers of protection as it manages and processes users’ applications. GovPlus also equips users with free resources, such as scam alerts and application guides that will help them navigate government processes safely and effectively.
“I believe there are many more important things to spend time on than government document applications,” says Guy. “The existing application process, which I’ve personally encountered, is notorious for its inefficiencies. I co-founded GovPlus in response to this challenge, with a goal of enhancing everyone’s experience and streamlining the process for both the user and the concerned government agencies. We are consistently looking for new ways to assist our users, placing important official documents within everyone’s reach.”
Article presented by Tom White
