Your passport is an important and useful document so it is a must to be aware of all the advisories and announcements regarding its use and validity. Knowledge also helps you avoid hassles and delays in your travel plans.
In an effort to keep up with the world standard of travel documents, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) implements changes regarding the issuance of Philippine passport. From machine readable passports, the DFA now issues an E-passport. In the midst of these changes, take note of the following reminders:
Reminder 1: Green Passport Is Valid Until Expiry
Do not believe emails and articles on the net urging you to renew your green passport before 2010. The said article is said to come from the travel agency division of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Below is an example of untrue email they send:
Post subject: Renew your Green Passport before 2010!
Department of Foreign Affairs
Travel Agency Section
Please be advised that effective january 2010, the green colored philippine passport will no longer be accepted even if it is still valid. Below are the list of new requirement for the application and renewal of philippine passport.
A public advisory posted in the DFA website reveals that there is no truth to the above email. Here’s the DFA reminder:
If you are a holder of the manual or green passport, you can still use your passport for travel abroad. All manual or green passports issued before April 01, 2010 will remain valid until the stated date of expiry and are acceptable for use abroad.
Reminder 2: DFA’s Passport Division Has Moved To A NewBuilding
The office of Consular Affairs (Passport Division, Authentication, Visa and Records) will be moving to a new building. The DFA’s Passport Office is moving to ASEANABusinessPark
Address of the new building: ASEANABusinessPark corner Bradco Avenue and Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard, Barangay Tambo, ParañaqueCity
Please call Telephone number 556-0000 or 834-4000 if you have further inquiries.
Reminder 3: Avail of the New ePassport
The DFA also reminds the public that everyone can apply for an e-passport now (initially available in Manila), a highly secure and enhanced Machine Readable Passport. The new passport reduces identity theft by storing the biometrics and signature of the passport holder and by recording his thumb marks.
Reminder 4: Apply for a Passport in the Provinces
You can also apply for a passport in the following DFA offices in the provinces:
Bacolod City, Baguio City, Butuan City, Cagayan de Oro Coty, Cebu City, Cotabato City, Davao City, General Santos City, Iloilo City, Legazpi City, Lucena City, Palawan City, POEA (Satellite Office)- Mandaluyong City, San Fernando La Union, San Fernando, Pampanga, Tacloban City, Tuguegarao City and Zamboanga City
no related articles
Would you like to use this article in your e-zine, blog or website? You may do so as long as you acknowledge OFWGuide.com as the source. Please inform us beforehand of your intention to republish the articles and provide the url address where the article will appear by dropping us a line at editor@ofwguide.com
some notes: my son applied for a passport because he applied as service crew for KSA. I and my son went to DFA and along the sidewalks some staff of those who give out temporary application insist of course so they can get more clients to get their forms for a fee and they are asked to take their pictures right then and there because there is no more picture taking inside the DFA compound which I did when I applied for mine at a mobile van ... so my son took his picture there but what I did not like is when they said that we had to go to this building and bring our filled up form without telling us that there was an added fee so instead of paying only for 5hundred pesos we had to pay one thousand seven hundred and because we needed the passport asap we agreed to process it at this passporting agency.... and i was very much upset because THERE WERE SOME APPLICANTS ON THAT DAY WHO CAME FROM THE DFA AND WERE REFUSED TO GO IN LINE BECAUSE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS WERE LIMITED ONLY 200 COULD BE RECEIVED BECAUSE IT WAS BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS.... DECEMBER 15.... PLEASE IF THERE ARE ANY HASSLE LIKE THIS ESPECIALLY WHEN IT FALLS ON A LONG HOLIDAY .... HOPE WE CAN AVOID THIS KIND OF ADDED FEES IN THIS KIND OF PASSPORTING AGENCIES... THEY CHARGE A HUNDRED PERCENT ON THE COST OF PASSPORT.... MAYBE THEY COULD CHARGE JUST A THOUSAND FOR THEIR SERVICES.... WHO ARE WE TO REFUSE WHEN WE ARE AT THE LOSING END BECAUSE WE ARE UNDER TIME CONSTRAINTS.... - Rosa Mari V. Valerio
some notes: my son applied for a passport because he applied as service crew for KSA. I and my son went to DFA and along the sidewalks some staff of those who give out temporary application insist of course so they can get more clients to get their forms for a fee and they are asked to take their pictures right then and there because there is no more picture taking inside the DFA compound which I did when I applied for mine at a mobile van ... so my son took his picture there but what I did not like is when they said that we had to go to this building and bring our filled up form without telling us that there was an added fee so instead of paying only for 5hundred pesos we had to pay one thousand seven hundred and because we needed the passport asap we agreed to process it at this passporting agency.... and i was very much upset because THERE WERE SOME APPLICANTS ON THAT DAY WHO CAME FROM THE DFA AND WERE REFUSED TO GO IN LINE BECAUSE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS WERE LIMITED ONLY 200 COULD BE RECEIVED BECAUSE IT WAS BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS.... DECEMBER 15.... PLEASE IF THERE ARE ANY HASSLE LIKE THIS ESPECIALLY WHEN IT FALLS ON A LONG HOLIDAY .... HOPE WE CAN AVOID THIS KIND OF ADDED FEES IN THIS KIND OF PASSPORTING AGENCIES... THEY CHARGE A HUNDRED PERCENT ON THE COST OF PASSPORT.... MAYBE THEY COULD CHARGE JUST A THOUSAND FOR THEIR SERVICES.... WHO ARE WE TO REFUSE WHEN WE ARE AT THE LOSING END BECAUSE WE ARE UNDER TIME CONSTRAINTS.... - Rosa Mari V. Valerio