While you can’t really travel abroad at the moment, you shouldn’t really just let your passport expire. This official travel document from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is one of the most accepted proofs of identification and citizenship, not only in the Philippines, but worldwide. And it’s also one of the IDs with the longest validity periods — at 10 years. Convinced you need to have this extremely useful ID onhand? Follow this easy guide so you can apply for or renew your passport now.
Decide which one you need
Are you signing up for a new application or just a renewal? You would fall under renewal if you have a passport that has expired, a passport that will be expiring within the next year, or a passport that has no blank pages left.
However, you will need to submit a new application if:
- you’ve never had a passport;
- you have a damaged passport;
- you lost your valid passport;
- you lost your expired passport; and
- you have a record of frequently losing your passport.
Set your appointment online
Once you know what type of application you’ll be doing, select a DFA site where you want to set the appointment and select a date.
Usually, you would find that the next two to three months are already fully booked, so you’d have to come back frequently to check the availability of appointments. Once you find an open slot, decide immediately if you want to get that, because the system will only reserve it for you for 20 minutes. So you better lock in that appointment ASAP or you’ll be waiting again.
Fill out the required forms
After you’ve selected a site, date, and time, you will be led to the online application form, which you’ll have to fill out. It has four pages, with each page asking for the following information:
- Personal information: Name, mobile number, email address, gender, civil status, date of birth, place of birth.
- Family information: Names and citizenship of father and mother, and if application, name and citizenship of spouse.
- Application information: Application type, citizenship, and if applying for renewal, passport details.
- Contact information: Home and office addresses and numbers.x
For the email address, the DFA suggests using a Gmail or Yahoo Mail account as opposed to other email addresses like your work email. Their system seems to be incompatible with other email addresses, so you might not be able to receive updates if you put anything other than Gmail or Yahoo Mail.
Once you’re done filling out the application form, you will be asked to review the submitted information. Check that everything’s in order before clicking that Submit button. A tip: it’s best to prepare all these details ahead of time, so you won’t be scrambling or panicking to finish filling out the online application form within the 20-minute reservation period.
Pay the processing fee
After you click the Submit button, you will be redirected to the payment page. You have two options to choose from:
- Regular processing, which takes about 12 business days and costs PHP 950.
- Expedite processing, which takes about 6 to 7 business days and costs PHP 1,200.
The additional fee for lost or damaged passports costs PHP 350. Other fees like the convenience fee of the selected e-payment platform and delivery fee are not yet included.
Payments can be made through the following methods:
- credit card or debit card
- Bayad Center
- EcPay
- Pera Hub
- Robinsons Business Center and Department Stores
- Waltermart Department Store
- 7-Eleven
- USCC (Western Union)
- Villarica Pawnshop
Once your payment is confirmed, a PDF containing all the information you submitted will be sent to your email address. It will contain your appointment schedule, your application form, and two copies of your electronic receipt.
Prepare your documents
Print out all the pages of the PDF sent to your email address on A4 paper. Depending on your type of application and whether you’re a minor or not, you would have to submit additional documents on top of the printed application form.
If you’re a new applicant over 18 years old (adult), you need to bring:
- original and photocopy of Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Authenticated Birth Certificate on Security Paper
- for married females using their spouse’s last name, original and photocopy of PSA Authenticated Marriage Contract on Security Paper or Report of Marriage
- any accepted valid ID and a photocopy of that ID
- additional supporting documents that may be found
If you’re a new applicant below 18 years old (minor), you need to bring:
- original and photocopy of Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Authenticated Birth Certificate on Security Paper
- for minors accompanied by only one parent, Marriage Certificate
- for minors accompanied by the father if parents are unmarried, an Affidavit of Support and/or Consent executed by the Mother
- passport or valid government-issued ID of either parent with a photocopy
- minor’s school ID (if applicable)
- additional supporting documents that may be found
If you’re over 18 years old (adult) and only applying for renewal, you need to bring:
- current ePassport with photocopy of data page
- additional supporting documents that may be found
If you’re below 18 years old (minor) and only applying for renewal, you need to bring:
- current ePassport with photocopy of data page
- for minors accompanied by only one parent, Marriage Certificate
- for minors accompanied by the father if parents are unmarried, an Affidavit of Support and/or Consent executed by the Mother
- passport or valid government-issued ID of either parent with a photocopy
- minor’s school ID (if applicable)
- additional supporting documents that may be found
The DFA accepts the following valid IDs:
- Social Security System (SSS) Card
- Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Card
- Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) Card
- Land Transportation Office (LTO) Driver’s License
- Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) ID
- Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) E-Card
- Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Voter’s ID or Voter’s Certificate issued from COMELEC main office in Intramuros, Manila
- Senior Citizen ID
- Airman License
- Philippine Postal ID
- Seafarer’s Record Book (SRB)(must be issued Feb 2020 onwards) issued by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA)
- Valid or Latest Passport (For Renewal of Passport)
- For minor applicants, school ID OR certificate of enrollment with a photo of the minor and dry seal of school
Observe health and safety protocols!
Once you have all your documents ready, the next thing you need to do is to wait for your appointment. It would be months before then, so make sure you don’t forget.
You also have to prepare things that would help you observe health and safety protocols. Prepare face masks, face shields, and alcohol for your trip to the DFA site. Read up on any safety procedures DFA is currently implementing, and make sure you’re also healthily fit before you head on to your appointment.
Show up early
On the day of your appointment, show up early — at least 30 minutes before. Latecomers will not be entertained. If you miss your scheduled appointment, you’ll have to restart the whole process again.
Make sure to look your best, too! Your photo will be taken and it will be embedded in your passport for ten whole years, so it’s best to look presentable. When you’re at the DFA site, you’ll have to go through at least three steps:
- Document verification, where they’ll check if you’re in the scheduled time slot and if you have all the required documents.
- Processing, where they will check each requirement you submitted and you’ll be informed of when your passport will be released.
- Data encoding and biometrics, where they will input your date into their system and have your photograph, signature, and fingerprints taken.
- Delivery (optional), where you can apply and pay for delivery of your passport to your address.
The DFA will also provide you with a receipt or claim stub that you can present when your passport is available for pick up.
Claim your passport (or wait for it)
If you chose to claim your passport at the DFA site, you need to bring the original DFA-issued receipt or claim stub and an original valid ID.
Not available to pick it up? If someone else is picking it up for you, have your representative bring an authorization letter, the original receipt, your valid ID (original and photocopy), and your representative’s valid ID (original and photocopy). However, take note that only the immediate family can pick it up on your behalf. That means only your parents, sibling, spouse, or child of legal age can claim your passport for you. If there really is no one else, a person who isn’t an immediate family member can claim for you. But they would need a lot more required documents. This includes a Special Power of Attorney, the original receipt, your valid ID (original and photocopy), and your representative’s valid ID (original and photocopy).
If you opted for delivery, you only need to wait for your passport to arrive at your doorstep a few days after the release of your passport.
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