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 ALL to  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

RENEWING YOUR PASSPORT IN DFA REGIONAL CONSULAR OFFICES

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:

Note from author:

THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED AS OF JULY 15, 2010. SOME INFORMATION BELOW MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE ANYMORE. FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT HOW TO RENEW YOUR PASSPORTS  AT THE DFA-ASEANA, CLICK HERE:

http://teystirol.com/2010/07/15/how-to-renew-your-passport-in-4-steps-dfa-aseana-with-pics/

REMINDER:

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.

IMPORTANT UPDATES FROM THE DFA AS OF 02.16.2010 (The DFA website has been revamped and the old links have been replaced. I have updated this post (in red) and the links as well as of 2/16/2010. Thanks for reading!)

Note: There are currently two types of passports being issued right now: the Machine-Readable Passport and the newly implemented Biometric Passport a.k.a EPass or Electronic Passport. The requirements  and procedures listed below mostly apply to those who are applying for a Machine Readable Passport. For those who prefer the EPass or Biometric passport the requirements are more or less the same but the procedures are different. To find out more about EPass or Biometric Passports check this out : FAQ on the Philippines EPassport (source: dfa.gov.ph)

Here are the Passport Requirements as of 02.16.2010 for:

A. FIRST-TIME APPLICANTS

Additional Requirements:

If already widowed: Death Certificate of the deceased husband;

For Minors (below 18 years old)

If minor is NOT traveling with either parent:

If both parents are abroad:

For Muslim applicants

1. Please refer to requirements for first time passport applicants.

• For those whose births were not registered:

B. PASSPORT RENEWAL (for holders of Philippine Passports)

Brown Passport or issued prior to 01 May 1995

1. Old passport and photocopy of passport pages 1,2,3 (amendment). The pages showing latest Bureau of Immigration departure and arrival stamps.
2. Supporting document with complete middle name.

Green Passport or issued after 01 May 1995

1. Present passport and photocopy of inside and back cover.
2. The pages showing latest Bureau of Immigration departure and arrival stamps.
3. For illegitimate minor, personal appearance of mother is required.

For married women, who want to use surname of their spouse:

1. Personal Appearance is required
2. Marriage Contract (MC) in Security Paper issued by NSO or CTC issued by the Local Civil Registrar duly authenticated by NSO.

For Minors (below 18 years old): Personal appearance of either parent is required.

1. If minor is NOT traveling with either parent:
2. Original and photocopy of DSWD Clearance
3. Affidavit of Support and Consent
4. If both parents are abroad:
5. Affidavit of support and consent (must be authenticated by the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate General if not executed before a Philippine Consul).
6. Special Power of Attorney (must be authenticated by the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate if not executed before a Philippine Consul designating the representative by name and authorizing him to apply for a passport on behalf of the minor).
7. Passport and photocopy of the passport of person travelling with the minor.

Other supporting documents you might want to bring with you: (courtesy of PinoyMoneyTalk)

• Marriage Contract
• PRC / IBP ID
• Land Title
• Driver’s License
• Government Service Record
• Old SSS-E1 form or digitized SSS-ID
• School Form 137 or Transcript of Records
• Other documents that show full name and birth details of applicant and/or citizenship
• Voter’s Registration Record
• Baptismal Certificate
• Seaman’s Book
• Income Tax Return (Old)

UPDATED PASSPORT FEES as of 06.29.2010:

• MACHINE READABLE PASSPORT (MRP-regular process) 44-pages         P  500.00
• ELECTRONIC PASSPORT (EPASS-regular process) 44-pages                   P  950.00
• EXPEDITED PROCESSING – ADDITIONAL CHARGE  OF                             P  250.00
• REPLACEMENT OF LOST VALID PASSPORT                                              P  700.00

o0o ~~~~ o0o

My original post: (links updated as of 02.16.2010)

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.

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. (see update above)

DFA REGIONAL CONSULAR OFFICES

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.

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 (updated):

http://dfa.gov.ph/main/index.php/schedule-of-sobile-services

Now here’s a visual of the actual procedure at the DFA Manila Office (pics courtesy of the DFA website)

These pictures are no longer available as the DFA has since updated its website.

Hope this helps!