Posts Tagged ‘Travel’

How to Renew your Passport (Updated links-Important Updates 02.16.2010)

Friday, June 27th, 2008

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

  • Personal Appearance is required.
  • Duly accomplished application form.
  • Birth Certificate (BC) in Security Paper (SECPA) issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) or Certified True Copy (CTC) of BC issued by the Local Civil Registrar duly authenticated by NSO.
  • Three (3) colored photos of the applicant taken against a royal blue background. Applicant should be in decent attire with collar. Photo must be of good quality, and must have been taken within the last six (6) months. Photo size: 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm. Facial image size: Not less than 3 cm. DFA has the right to reject photos that do not comply with specifications and international standards.
  • Proof of identity / Supporting documents indicating full name, date and place of birth and citizenship
  • Other Supporting documents.

Additional Requirements:

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

  • Marriage Contract (MC) in Security Paper issued by NSO or Certified True Copy issued by the Local Civil Registrar duly authenticated by NSO.
  • For married women who would like to revert back to their maiden name

If already widowed: Death Certificate of the deceased husband;

  • If marriage is annulled: Certified true copy and photocopy of the first page and the dispositive portion of the judgment on annulment and NSO-issued MC with the annotation on the annulment decree;
  • If divorced: Certified true copy and photocopy of the first page and the dispositive portion of the judgment on divorce secured by foreign spouse authenticated by the Philippine Embassy or Consulate where the divorce is obtained.

For Minors (below 18 years old)

  • Personal appearance of either parent (if minor is of legitimate status).
  • Personal appearance of mother (if minor is of illegitimate status)

If minor is NOT traveling with either parent:

  • Original and photocopy of DSWD Clearance
  • Affidavit of Support and Consent

If both parents are abroad:

  • Affidavit of support and consent (must be authenticated by the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate General if not executed before a Consul).
  • Special Power of Attorney (must be authenticated by the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate General if not executed before a Consul designating the representative by name and authorizing him to apply for a passport on behalf of the minor).
  • Passport and photocopy of the passport of the traveling companion of the minor.
  • Identification Card and photocopy thereof of the duly authorized person.

For Muslim applicants

  • For those whose births were registered:
  1. Please refer to requirements for first time passport applicants.
  • For those whose births were not registered:

  1. Late registered Birth Certificate (BC) in Security Paper (SECPA) issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO)
  2. Original and photocopy of Voter’s Affidavit or other supporting documents indicating date and place of birth and citizenship, identity and tribal affiliation.
  3. Certificate from the Office on Muslim Affairs (OMA)

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.

To apply for a renewal of a  Philippine Passport here are some of the things you need:

  • Passport application form (front and back downloadable from here )
  • For Green Passports or those issued after 01 May 1995 you need the ff.:
  1. Present passport together with the application form
  2. Photocopies of the inside and the back cover.
  3. Photocopy of the pages showing latest Bureau of Immigration departure and arrival stamps.
  4. 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.)
  5. 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. (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.

DFA REGIONAL CONSULAR OFFICES

REGION I - RCO LA UNION

REGION VII - RCO CEBU

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC: ELEANOR B. BELGICA
Pasado Bldg., Pagdalagan Norte
San Fernando, La Union
Tel. Nos: (072) 888-3733 / 888-3107
Fax No :  (072) 888-5484
Email Add:  dfalaunion@sflu.com
la_union@dfa.gov.ph

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC:  ANGEL C. ESPIRITU
Causing Lozada Bldg.,
Osmeña Blvd., Cor. Lapu-lapu St.,
Cebu City
Tel. No:  (032) 256-3193 / 253-6798
Fax No:  (032)256-0624
E-mail: cebu@dfa.gov.ph dfacebu@mozcom.com

REGION II - RCO TUGUEGARAO

REGION VIII - RCO TACLOBAN

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC:  FLORENCIO FRANCO, JR.
Municipal Bldg., Tuguegarao, Cagayan Valley
Tel. Nos: (078) 846-4813 / 846-1482
Fax No: (078) 846-2310
Email Add:  tuguegarao@dfa.gov.ph

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC:  EDMUNDO V. VENTURANZA
Leyte SMED Center, Capitol Site
Tacloban City
Tel. Nos: (053) 321-8233 / 5230080
Fax No:  (053) 321-8237
E-mail: tacloban@dfa.gov.ph dfa_reotac@globelines.com.ph

REGION III - RCO CLARK FIELD

REGION IX - RCO ZAMBOANGA

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC: ERNESTO H. BELARDO
Balikbayan Shopping Mall
Claro M. Recto Ave. Clark Field, Angeles, Pampanga
Tel. No: (045) 599-7777
Fax No: (045) 599-6555
E-mail: pampanga@dfa.gov.ph

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC: TITA R. REBOLLOS
GO-VELOSO Bldg. Veterans Ave.
Zamboanga City
Tel. No: (062) 991-4398 / 9912202
Fax No: (062) 991-7958
E-mail: rcozambo@jetlink.com

REGION IV - RCO LUCENA

REGIONS X,XII, XIII
RCO CAGAYAN DE ORO

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC:  VIRGILIO G. CAJALJAL
3rd Flr. Pacific Mall Lucena
M.L. Tagarao St., Barangay III
Lucena City
Tel. No: (042) 710-4526
Fax No: (042) 373-1898
E-mail: dfarcolc@pldtdsl.net

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC: MARDOMEL CELO D. MELICOR
Geleng Bldg. Lapasan Highway
Cagayan De Oro City
Tel. Nos: +63 (8822) 72 4309 /

+63 (88) 8572175
Fax No  : +63 (8822) 72 6578

E-mail: cagayan.de.oro@dfa.gov.ph

rco.cdo@philcom.ph

Webpage: www.dfa.gov.ph/cdo

REGION VRCO LEGASPI

REGIONS XI, XII & XIII - RCO DAVAO

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC:  RODEL P. ALBELLO
4th Flr. LCC Expressmart Building Rizal St.
Legazpi City
Tel. Nos: (052) 480-3000 / 820-3396
Fax No:   (052) 480-1773
E-mail:admin@dfalegazpi.bayandsl.ph

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC:  ADRIAN BERNIE C. CANDOLADA
Ebro-Pelayo Bldg., E. Jacinto St.,
Davao City
Tel. Nos: (082) 227-3900 / 224-4885
Fax No:  (082) 221-4552
E-mail: davaorco@yahoo.com

REGION VI - RCO ILOILO

DFA MINDANAO

DFA Regional Consular Office
OIC:  VICTOR A. ESPAÑOLA
Yulo Streets,  Iloilo City
Tel. Nos: (033) 336-1737                                   (02) 487-3041
Fax No: (033) 335-0221
E-mail: dfailo@skyinet.net

DFA Regional Consular Office
KADATUAN P. USOP
ASSISTANT SECRETARY

Tel. No: (082) 227-0713
Fax No: (082) 227-0712
E-mail: davaorco@ultimate.info.com.ph

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!

The Beauty of the Philippines in Pictures

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

Can you guess where I took these pictures?

I just  want to share a few of my shots from our travels. I know that there are still a lot of wonderful places waiting to be explored and captured and I hope we as a family get to see more. No matter how bad our country is painted out to be, I am still a believer that there are still many things to be thankful for and that our country has been blessed in so many different ways. Beauty as they say is in the eye of the beholder and IMHO there is a lot of beholding that still needs to be done. Don’t wait for the Department of Tourism to promote our God-given natural wonders. The best travel guides for this country is YOU. So bring out your backpacks, get those cameras ready and share it. 

 

BTW, don’t forget to vote for Tubbatha Reef and Palawan’s Underground Cave in the new 7 wonders of the world poll.

LP#8 – Tubig

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

Di ko sukat akalain noong una kong makita
Isang tanawing tulad nito na tumambad sa aking mata
Ako ba’y nasa Pilipinas o nasa ibang bansa?
Nakatagong kagandahan ng ating bayan 
Sa Angat Dam Watershed ko nakita.

Maligayang Araw mga ka-LP! 

lp-tubig3-430-x-323.jpg

Where did summer go?

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

I can’t believe it! School will be here in just two weeks and we haven’t gone to any beach yet plus the fact that it has been quite rainy throughout the month. Hubby says it’s because of the La Nina. Hopefully, before school starts we can still bring out the kids’ swimsuits and take them swimming somewhere. I wish we could go back to La Luz in Batangas. I didn’t have the chance to explore the place the last time we were there. Here’s a pic I took while we were there a year ago. Isn’t it inviting? 

dscf0800-422-x-317.jpg 

Bit by the travel bug

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

Hubby met up with my long-time friend and once upon a time room mate this afternoon at HSBC for an event in their office. I haven’t seen her in a long while and from what hubby told me she’s been bitten by the travel bug at last. I remember her saying that she wasn’t so keen on traveling and yet hubby told me that she’s already been to Greece, Milan, Rome etc.  I wonder if she used a Rimowa on her trip? I can’t wait to see her. We have almost a year of catching up to do and I just want her to know I’m really so happy for her! 

I remember when…

Saturday, April 12th, 2008

… we used to live in Ocotillo Springs in Chandler, AZ approximately around this time almost 9 years ago. I was browsing through some our old photos and came across one of my favorite pictures of my son taken near the pond inside Ocotillo Springs. I think he was one year old at that time… (sigh)

kai-in-ocotillo-432-x-293.jpg

We were relocated there for almost a year because of my husband’s job at that time. It is one of the most memorable times we have as a family because we were just starting out then. We were fortunate that the company my husband worked for shouldered all our expenses and we didn’t have to worry about our rent, the utilities, home insurance, transportation, food etc. I remember hubby and I couldn’t wait for the weekend because we would plan our ‘long drive’ across the states. I wish we could go back and do it all over again… drive all the way to the Grand Canyon and find that little diner along Route 66 that had these humongous pancakes bigger than my face. Unforgettable! I would love to bring my kids there to see that… perhaps someday we will…

i need a coffee break…

Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008

and a getaway place as well. Actually, I’m really not a coffee drinker but Jan, one of my bloggie friends, has been hosting a coffee break post every Mondays. This week’s post has me stumped. I’ve been pressed to finish a lot of last minute stuff at home, like my son’s final homeschool evaluation exams, changes in our Kumon schedules, a few design jobs for a friend, plus my mom and my sister are coming home from abroad for a visit etc. etc., I couldn’t squeeze my brain to remember the answer to her question. Actually, it’s been such a long time ago (isn’t that a revelation LOL) and my brain needs a little push (or maybe a shove) just to recall such details. Brain caffeine alert! Maybe, it’s that coffee break post that’s waking up my nerves telling me I need to pack my bags and go on vacation somewhere… anywhere! Maybe I’ll check out the Hilton Head rentals and ask my sister if she would like to go there after her visit here. I’ll tell her to pack me up in her suitcase as well… lol.

Wishful thinking…Bora

Friday, March 28th, 2008

Summer is definitely here and the heat just makes me wish I had a nice cozy little beach front house similar to those in Outer Banks overlooking the ocean just to escape the daily grind. Quite frankly, I’ve never been to Boracay even though my husband’s parrientes from his dad’s side own resorts in that little island. Hopefully, by this year we can finally go there. I’m sure the kids would have a lot of fun and my son can put his swimming lessons to the test. That would be nice… 

tEysTful Tuesday – Travel

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

I had the opportunity to travel to Brunei a few years ago and I have more than a few fond memories that remind me of that trip. I have traveled to a few other countries that were predominantly Muslim but each one that I’ve been to has their own unique quirks.  One unique Pinoy cultural quirk is how we call someone’s attention. We do that by saying “Psst!” or “Hoy!”. Nowadays, in text lingo it has evolved into “Oist!”. Or what about our “tabo” or bathroom dipper and the original exfoliant “panghilod” or river rock?  These are dead giveaways that you are in a Pinoy household.

Brunei has its own cultural peculiarities as well. An example would be pointing at an object. Usually, we use the index finger to point to an object, person or location. In Brunei, it is offensive to do that. Instead, they close their hand as if giving a person a thumbs up and then they use their thumb to point to whatever. I find it quite amusing. Another thing that I learned about Brunei is that, since it is a predominantly Muslim country, alcohol is not allowed or served in restaurants or dining places. I found out later how some of the locals become quite creative on how they get around that “no-no”. One time, while we were at a certain function and having dinner, I noticed that some of the people at our table acted as if they were hiding something under the table. They had just asked the waiter for a teapot and some tea cups with nothing inside. I asked the person next to me what was going on and he said that those guys actually had sneaked in a few bottles of liquor in gift bags and they were drinking it out of tea cups so that they won’t be caught. Talk about slick and sly! Alcohol is not available for sale in Brunei, so these guys would actually drive across the border to Miri, Malaysia and buy the stuff and drive all the way back to Brunei with their loot. Makes me wonder if I could find an alcohol rehab in Brunei?

If ever you do visit Brunei, two of the must see places to go to are these places:

First, the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque. It truly is spectacular especially at night.

 

The other must see is the Sultan of Brunei’s Palace or Istana Nurul Iman. (pic at the bottom) 

I’ve only been outside the gate but what makes this place a must see, especially if you are a Filipino, is the fact that it was designed by our very own National Artist for Architecture, Leandro V. Locsin and built by Filipino firm, Ayala International. Truly Amazing! Go Pinoy!

 

My first tEysTful Tuesday

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008

I’ve decided to make my Tuesday – tEysT-ful which simply means my take on anything that suits my taste or fancy just as it says up there in my header. So you may agree or disagree with my opinion and that’s fine because we all have different perspectives about how we see things. That’s what makes life more interesting. In the end, I hope you will have a good read.

I remember years ago when we lived in Arizona for a while, every weekend, my husband and I would go on long drives across the States. Looking back at what we did, I realized that we did some pretty foolish things. Once, while still pregnant with my first baby, we drove all the way to L.A armed with just a tiny map at the back of a slim diary, no cellphone, no specific destination or contact to go to, no emergency stuff.  I didn’t even remember my mom’s phone number in case something happened to us. We were married for less than a year so everything was like an adventure. Every rest area we found was like finding an oasis and a chance to get those hotel/motel coupon booklets that gave you discounted lodging rates. Now that I think about all that, what we did was pretty scary and actually really st__id.  But we were hooked on these long drives. The views were just exhilarating  and you can’t relish all that when you’re on  a plane.

So next time we had the chance to go on another long drive, we hit LAS VEGAS! This time, my mom, my brother and his wife went together with us and my son. We had to be a little bit more prepared this time. We rented this big van to fit all of us. We checked out the best rates that all these Vegas hotels were offering to find out which had deals and perks and low season rates that we could take advantage of. No coupon books, budget hotel discount cards this time, at least.Finally, we agreed to stay at the Excalibur Hotel. It wasn’t that spectacular for me but it was okay. It fit our budget. I wanted to go to the Venezia but it was way tooo expensive. Not worth the $$$. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to at least stop by for pictures with the gondolier. 

Of course, if you are in Vegas you would normally want to experience what the celebs do even if it was just once in your lifetime. So for dinner, we wanted to do something a bit more fancy than Denny’s. We wanted to try either Emeril Lagasse’s Delmonico restaurant or Wolfgang Puck’s but they were all fully booked and the only place that was available was at a steak restaurant over at the MGM hotel. So we trooped over there, dressed to the nines, feeling like celebs for a night and had dinner. It was okay but I’ve had better steak for a lot less because it was a bit dry. The ambience was great, the service was fine. It was a pleasant experience.

Overall, the experience was memorable and I’d love to go back and do it all over again. Not really the fancy stuff but the long drive, the rest areas, the coupon books, the rustic diners that don’t have that fastfood burger taste… this time with my kids and of course more prepared than ever…with a cellphone.