How to Renew your Passport ( Repost Updated with pics)
Jun 27th, 2008 by teys
Did you know that there are online companies that can assist you if you need to apply for or renew your passport? For my own passport, I opted to do it myself which was quite a hassle to do so I’m contemplating if I should do it differently for the passports of my kids. If you plan to do it yourself here are some of the things you need to prepare for to help you out.
- Passport application form (front and back downloadable from here
) - For Green Passports or those issued after 01 May 1995 you need the ff.:
- Present passport together with the application form
- Photocopies of the inside and the back cover.
- Photocopy of the pages showing latest Bureau of Immigration departure and arrival stamps.
- 3 pcs passport size pictures with royal blue background (This one is a bit tricky because if it doesn’t pass their standards, they will ask you to have your picture taken again. There is a mini photo studio “conveniently” located at the entrance of the DFA auditorium just in case you are one of those rejected. You’ll only find out if your rejected right at the very last step of the process when all you have to do is submit your documents. It is quite irritating.)
- NSO Certified Marriage contract (for married women)
Here’s a little tip that most people don’t know. Instead of waiting in line at the DFA just to schedule an appointment you can actually request for an appointment online. I found this out by accident and when I got to the DFA with my printed out appointment, the guard even asked me if I was an official or something. He actually made my day because I was already so frustrated at how they shuttled us back and forth from one line to another. So if you want to do that and save yourself a few steps go here : Passport Application Appointment System.
But if you want somebody else to do all that for you and all you have to do is show your face at the DFA you can also try Pilipinas Teleserv. They can do your passport, NSO birth, marriage, death and other certificates as well. They also deliver it right to your doorstep. If you are an American seeking to renew your passport and want someone to assist you, you can try American Passport dot com. Both of these agencies are non-government agencies that process your documents for you and they can come in very useful for folks that are too busy to do all the legwork.
ETA: I’ve updated this post and added a few more info in response to the queries below. I’m glad that this post has helped you and hope that this additional information like Regional Consulate Offices etc. will be even more helpful as you go through processing your passports.
Question from Billy:
just want to ask if i can renew my passport without my presence?and how long will it take to get it?
Answer:
If you are residing in the Philippines, then you are most likely to renew your passport at the DFA Main office, Roxas Blvd in Pasay City. However, if you are in the province and coming to Manila is not doable for you there are actually Regional Consular Offices located around the country where you can apply at. As for non-appearance options, even if some agencies offer to do all the initial legwork for you like processing and compiling the required documents for submission and scheduling an appointment for you , the DFA still requires you to “appear” unless you are under “8 years old” or “65 years old and above” because they take a picture of you at the very end of the process for their file purposes. Therefore, you still have to be present.
As to how long it will take to get your passport, it depends on how much you want to pay. Usually, the regular wait is 14 days which costs P500, for expedited processing or 7-days wait it’s P750 and for replacement of lost valid passports it’s P700.
But before you head out to Manila, you might like to check this out and see if there is a DFA office near you to save you all that travel.
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DFA REGIONAL CONSULAR OFFICES |
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Btw, there are also scheduled Mobile Passport Services in various Local Governments where DFA officials go to different public venues and process passport services right then and there. I know one was recently held at Festival Mall Alabang. For schedules on that you can check this link:
http://dfa.gov.ph/consular/MPS.htm
Now here’s a visual of the actual procedure at the DFA Manila Office (pics courtesy of the DFA website)
Hope this helps!
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hi jec,
thanks for reading my post - as far as I know, any Filipino living abroad who holds a Philippine Passport can renew his/her passport outside the Philippines at any of our Philippine Embassies or Consulate Offices located all over the world. One of the many services our embassies and consulates provide Filipinos abroad is the renewal of passports. Aside from that they can also provide you with assistance on legal or notarial services or address questions about citizenship etc etc. Do not hesitate to go to our embassies for help because that is why they are there. I don’t know where you are in California but we have a Consulate in San Francisco (you can check out this link - http://www.philippineconsulate-sf.org/passport.htm) and another one in Los Angeles ( check out their site here: - http://www.philippineconsulatela.org/consularservices.htm)
Hope this helps!
thanks for the question, Billy… I updated the post and sent you a reply via email as well…
Hope this helps!
well, thanks a lot for sharing I really appreciate it.
chona