Unless the rules have changed in the last 5 months, yes you can. I did it without any problems, best consulate I've been to. When you enter the country they will give you a white slip of paper, this has your resident number on it - bring that with you.
I agree with Jules Cooper, no harm in writing it as they've got it all on file anyway. I also don't think they pay particular attention to this box for this very reason. One time I didn't have my old passport with me, so I just wrote the month and year- didn't cause any issues. That was at the London embassy.