I renewed my Philippine Passport (expiring next month) yesterday at the Department of Foreign Affairs regional consular office inside Robinsons Place Iloilo. And it was just a short 2-3 hours of transaction or it could have been shorter if I already knew a tip or two
Opened only last February of 2014, the (relocation of the) DFA regional consular office at the 3rd level of Robinsons Place Iloilo is among the government's thrusts of making its services more convenient, accessible and available to the people.
I've applied and renewed my Philippine passport at the old DFA office along Yulo Street before and back then it was already sort of orderly and convenient. But nothing beats the convenience the new DFA has to offer on top of the prime location.
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IMPORTANT REMINDER:
--------------------------------------------------------------------On-Line appointment through
http://www.passport.com.ph/
is REQUIRED for you to apply.
WALK-INS are NOT ALLOWED
However, NO APPOINTMENT is need for the following:
- Senior Citizen with Senior Citizen ID
- Person with Disability (PWDs) with PWD ID or visible disability
- Solo Parent with Valid Solo Parent ID
- Pregnant women with medical certificate
- Minors seven (7) years old and below
1. INFORMATION COUNTER
This is where you inquire for all the details of your passport application and renewal. Just click on the links for the details and requirements. As I was just renewing my passport, all I had to present were:
- a) Old passport
- b) Photocopy of the marked pages of my passport (inside front and back pages plus the stamped/used pages )
- c) Filled-out form
You can also drop by a day before or request someone to get an application form to save time. Can't be sure if the form is downloadable and printing it is allowed. Though filling out won't take 5 minutes but lining up can take longer. Bring ballpen if you decide to walk-in.
2. PROCESSING COUNTER
After all your requirements are pre-approved by the INFORMATION counter, they'll give you a priority number for the PROCESSING. Here, you just wait for your number to be called and your requirements will be checked in details whether they pass or not. They have around 7 counters and the number of opened ones depend on the demand.
- Be sure to check and double check your requirements the them especially if you're a first time applicant.
- Notary services inside are available if needed.
- For renewals, its just a breeze, just present your form and old passport. No need for any other IDs, though just bring them in case needs may arise.
3. CASHIER
When your application or renewal requirements are fully approved, you pay the corresponding fees at the CASHIER. Fee is PhP 950 for regular processing of 30 days. You will be reminded of the date of release at the PROCESSING counter. But you can speed up the processing for an additional fee - just check the exact amount at the counter for the details. If you wish to have your passport delivered to your office or residence anywhere, you can opt for the courier service.
4. ENCODING
This is where the long wait begins but it depends on the situation. Good thing there's priority number so you can check the actual progress. The display shows which customer is being attended to and which booth. It also shows the order of how soon your number will be called out.
The line progress depends on how many booths are opened. That time only one booth was open serving more than 100 applicants (it was around lunch break) and seeing that I cannot be served in at least 30 minutes or so, I opted to stroll around the mall. This is also the perfect time to run your other errands, have lunch, or do some window shopping. I checked back 30 minutes later and saw that 4 booths were already opened so I decided to wait for my turn.
Around 5 minutes is allotted for each applicant. The encoder lets you verify all the information before it is printed, then gets your photo (yup No Need to Bring Passport Size Photos), lets you sign your name and have your thumbprint marked - electronically, and lets you verify all the information for the second time.
When everything is all set and done, you will just be reminded of the date when you can get hold of your new passport.
5. CLAIMING
When claiming, just present your old passport and claim stub at the Claims counter at the far end of the DFA area. It has a different/separate entrance from the office above and it takes just a few minutes depending on the line of claimants
Thank DFA for giving us a more convenient and easy way to process our passports compared before. And it's time for us to say Bon Voyage!