Yes, m’ladies. 4 steps. I didn’t say fast. I didn’t say easy. I just mean 4 steps with lots of little sub steps in between. This is a follow-up  to my original post  How to Renew Your Passport so I guess this contains the latest information and updates. I’ve taken some pictures to give you a visual so that you know what to expect when you go to the DFA. If you  left a comment or question under the original  post that was unanswered, perhaps your queries might be answered in this latest post. I’m not a travel agent nor do I claim to be an expert in this area nor am I a DFA employee. My aim is simply to consolidate all the bits and pieces of information about renewing your passport all into one post. Hopefully, someone will find the information useful.

Here’s how our regular passports have evolved.

Above: MAROON Passport (left), GREEN Passport (right) – issue discontinued, will expire as scheduled on their original expiration dates, some countries may deny entry to holders of the green, handwritten passports;

Machine Readable Passport or MRP. (left)  (I have this one right now.) The MRP is no longer shown as an option on the sidebar of the DFA website. My guess is that they are slowly phasing it out and all renewals will be the ePass type. I intend to convert mine to an ePass even before the scheduled expiration date. Electronic Passport, Biometric or better known as  ePass. (right) This is the current type of passport being issued by the DFA right now. The little rectangle  below the word “Pasaporte” differentiates it from the MRP.

A little note about the ePass:

The ePassport takes the MRP to the next higher level and standard in travel documents:  an embedded microchip containing the following: Data essential in verifying the passport holder’s identity, including the holder’s personal data, biometrics and digital signature. This chip is interoperable, that is to say, it can be read by any standard passport machine reader in border controls worldwide.

• A complex laminate that protects the data page against tampering;
• Customized invisible images on every page; and
• A hidden and coded technology that allows the encoding of the holder’s name and passport number on the passport photo.

source: DFA – Speech of Dr. Alberto Romulo  (my note: ‘next higher level‘ sounds kinda redundant…)

Before I get into the steps to renewing your passport, check out this list:

4 Steps  you need to take BEFORE going to the DFA:

STEP 1

• SET AN APPOINTMENT. By CALLING (02)737-1000 or by APPLYING ONLINE at http://passport.com.ph. If you call, a Customer Care Officer will assist you in setting your appointment. He/She will ask you to provide your personal info and will advise you on the applicable requirements you need to bring on your scheduled appointment. If you apply online, you have two types of appointments to choose from – INDIVIDUAL or FAMILY. You need to FILL UP an online form based on the type of appointment you choose and CHOOSE an appointment DATE and TIME. Allot enough time to process your passport and the time of your travel. We set our appointment early May 2010 and we were scheduled June 30, 2010. If you are in a hurry, you might not be able to leave according to your schedule. Anyway, if you do have the time, these are how the online forms look like:

Did You Know?

All passport applicants scheduled for appearance must appear physically at the DFA at the date and time of their scheduled personal appearance for data and image capturing. This applies to all passport applicants, aging from 0 years old onwards. DFA is strict about the personal appearance system, absolutely no chaperone allowed for passport applicants aging 18 years old onwards.

STEP 2

• DOWNLOAD, PRINT and FILL OUT the passport application forms completely with the appointment reference numbers. WRITE DOWN the reference number given to you because it will be used to cross-check your appointment once you get to the DFA. We were not able to print out the forms because my dh’s laptop crashed. It was actually a blessing in disguise because we found out a glitch in the online appointment system. We contacted Customer Service and discovered that dh was not included in the appointment list even though he applied for himself and our two kids. The system only reflected  our kids’ appointment and his could not be found. It’s a good thing that he had a copy of the appointment reference number so they were able to trace the appointment. Thank God!

STEP 3

• ASSEMBLE all your requirements. PHOTOCOPY all necessary documents. Applicants will not be admitted at the entrance gate without valid appointment and application forms. For a detailed listing of passport renewal requirements you can check out my previous post How to Renew Your Passport or DFA.
  

STEP 4

• ARRIVE EARLY. You must be at the DFA Consular Office 30 minutes before your scheduled time. Early/Late comers will not be entertained. By experience, our June 30 schedule got bumped off because it was declared a holiday. We were given the option to choose which day and what time to go so they were a bit more lenient because of that. Otherwise, as with any other appointment, don’t arrive on time. Arrive before the time. On your appointment date, proceed to the DFA Consular Office located at ASEANA Business Park, Bradco Avenue corner Macapagal Boulevard, Paranaque City (see map below).

Location Map

Here’s a pic I took on our way to the DFA.

Did You Know?

The DFA Passport Appointment System by Internet is currently available ONLY for the DFA Passport in Manila. It is important that all the needed details (i.e. full name, date of birth, place of birth, latest passport number and date of issuance) are provided when you make the request for appointment.

So you’ve done Steps 1 through 4 and finally, you’re all set to go to the DFA. Here’s what you need to do now.

How to Renew your Passport in 4 steps (DFA Aseana)

STEP 1 – Processing

• PRESENT your printed application form and supporting documents to the Appointment Counter. You will find them immediately as you enter Gate 2 of DFA Aseana. The assigned personnel will verify your papers and your reference number. Once completed, they will direct you to GET your queue number at the Information Counter and then WAIT for your turn inside the Processing Area. Your queue number will appear on the monitor indicating what processing window you will go to.

Here’s what the Processing Area looks like. There are 23 windows (not all are open) available.

Here’s where we sat while waiting for our turn. Wish we had patio cushions but it was kinda fast so it was fine. It was a bit like playing musical chairs.

After the shortest wait in the whole process here’s what happens next. Submit all your documents to the person behind the counter for verification and inform them the type of processing you want – Regular or Rush (Expedited). They will ask you to sign some forms re receiving your canceled passport and you will be directed to the next step.

Did You Know?

Passport Fees

Regular Processing: Php 950.00 (20 working days)

Rush Processing: Php 1,200.00 (10 working days)

An additional fee of Php 200.00 will be charged for processing of Lost Passports if it is still valid.

STEP 2 – Payment

• Hooray, you survived Step 1 so now it’s on to Step 2. GO TO THE SECOND FLOOR and look for the Passport Enrollment Center. You won’t miss it. Go inside this room and PAY your passport fees at the CASHIER.  After that, go a little further into the room and GET another number and wait for it to be flashed onscreen. Once you see your number, proceed to your assigned enrollment booth.  Step 2′s a fairly easy step, depending on how long the line is. You’ll be done with this one within tolerable time.

Here are a few more pics to show you how it looks like.

The Passport Enrollment Center. Note: the spelling looks a bit weird and shows up in my spell check so I’m sticking to the old spelling.

This is how it looks like inside. You can see where the cashier windows are.

Don’t forget to get your number at Number 3 or else they won’t process your enrollment.

STEP 3 – Enrollment

• Step 3 is where it get’s a bit tricky. This is the part where they do all the biometric stuff. They encode all the data in your application form, get your thumbmarks (left and right) and they take your picture against a light blue background. No need to bring pictures that get rejected after you’ve done all the queuing and waiting. Since that’s a lot to do just for one application, how much more if you’re a family. So this is the longest part of the whole process. The number we picked was 2500 so we had to wait for a looooooong while before it became our turn.

Here are more pics to give you an idea of what it’s like.

Check out the numbers on the screen. We picked 2500 so you can imagine how looooooooooooooong we had to wait for our turn.

This is what happens when you become bored from waiting. A poor paparazzi shot of Benjie Paras (the one in stripes) who was there that day.

On the wall near the escalator…going up to the 2nd floor.

The holding area (the view from outside)… where people inside waited… and waited… and waited…

Can you tell how bored I am…

FINALLY!!! Our turn…

Data Encoding. Check. Fingerprints. Check. Signatures. Check. Snapshot. Check. Hallelujah!!! It’s almost  5 0′clock…whew! We made it!

STEP 4 – Delivery

• Finally, the long wait is over and you’ve done Steps 1 through 3. You now have the option of claiming your passport personally or have it delivered to your doorstep via courier. We opted for the latter since we didn’t want to go back to the DFA.
  

After 2 weeks… and a day earlier… TADA!

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Ü lol

Did You Know?

ePassport is now available in 19 RCOs Nationwide.

As of June 18, 2010, the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Consular Affairs encourages the public to avail of the passport processing and/or renewal in any of the 19 Regional Consular Offices (RCOs) located nationwide.

The RCOs are located in: