DFA Passport Renewal

Thank you for checking out my post. Please visit my new blog https://letsgoady.com/travel/. I am posting there every week about my recent travels and lifestyle. Thank you. XOXO -ady

Acquiring and renewing passport nowadays is a bit easy. The process somehow improved as compared before.

First step is to have an online appointment. Login thru DFA Appointment and fill up the information details. The online appointment was a good way to control applications per day. No need to fall in line or go walk in.

Take note of the requirements since it may vary depending on your marital or legitimacy status. Incomplete requirement may lead you to inconvenience

Choose a schedule date and time depending on your nearest consular office. For mutilated and lost passport, you can only have renewal at the DFA Aseana branch.

IMPORTANT:

Make sure to submit only one appointment as the previous appointment will be voided and you will not be entertained.

DAY OF YOUR APPOINTMENT

On the day of your appointment, make sure to arrive as early as possible. My appointment schedule was at 7:30am, been at the DFA office by 6:30 and they already allow us to go inside the building though we still lined up outside Gate 5 of DFA Aseana. Make sure to have a printed copy of your appointment and bring original and photocopy of your requirements.

Step 1A: Appointment Verification

First Step is to have your online appointment validated. It is important to just submit 1 appointment or rather if by chance you got a new date (may be earlier or later than your original application) then you may have so. But remember that the latest online application will be the valid one.

Step 1: Requirement Checking

Once you have a valid appointment, proceed to requirements checking. Check the list of valid documents at DFA Passport Requirements. You can also see this at your online appointment form.

Make sure that you bring the original copy and photocopied of your requirements. Though there’s a photocopy center available on a reasonable price but being ready is a plus. And the line may get long too - so avoiding long lines means faster queue for each steps.

Step 2.a Extra Step: Director’s Office

My passport was mutilated as per my post here HELP! My Passport got mutilated!. So after requirement checking, they endorse me for an interview at the director’s office. Basically, they will assist you and re-validate if your passport was indeed damaged and will advise you on what to do next. Mutilated and lost passport will only be processed at DFA Aseana Branch. The office opens at 8:00am.

After the consul approved my early renewal, I came back to Step 2 - requirements checking. No need to fall in line again, just proceed to the same personnel who validated your requirements. This is also the part where your old passport will be punched. I specifically asked if she can spare mine. She allowed but I can’t have it delivered and will have it punched once I got the new one.

Step 2: Cashier

The personnel from requirement checking will give you a receipt, proceed to the Cashier counter (in DFA Aseana it’s on Second floor), and pay the passport fees. You can also see the releasing date at the end of the receipt.

Passport Fees:

Regular Processing: 950 pesos

Rush Processing: 950 + 250 pesos = 1200 pesos

Step 3: Encoding

After paying the passport fees, get a queue number for the encoding and wait until your number will be called. This is the part where you’re picture and digital signature will be taken. And that is basically the last step.

Step 4: OPTIONAL - Passport Delivery

You have the option to have it delivered or picked up on the of releasing. To avoid hassle you can have it delivered to your address for a certain amount.

Passport Delivery Fee: 120 pesos

Courier are: 2GO, Air21, DHL and LBC

I’ll keep you posted once I got my passport and if it’s indeed 7 days rush processing!

Update: Yes I've got my passport after 7 days rush processing. Though mind that you need to wait (in my case 30mins) and fall in line again. But its better than getting it next days right?

Itinerary for Passport Renewal:

6:30am  Reached DFA Aseana

6:36am  Fall in line for Appointment Verification at Gate 5

6:38am  Yey, my appointment was approved

6:44am  Fall in line for Requirement Checking at Gate 1

7:30am  Requirements Checking window Opens

7:42am  Requirements - checked! But I was endorse to Director’s office

8:30am  Interview at Director’s office

8:48am  Pay Passport fee at the Cashier

8:49am  Got my queue number for Encoding or Enrollment

9:30am  Encoding, Photo and Digital Signature capture

9:40am  Application ends here. You can have your passport delivery at this point.

HELP! My Passport got mutilated!

Thank you for checking out my post. Please visit my new blog https://letsgoady.com/travel/. I am posting there every week about my recent travels and lifestyle. Thank you. XOXO -ady

I have an upcoming overseas travel this November and I was so excited. Everything was already planned including hotel and park tickets. Then, upon checking of the most important thing - passport, I've just found out that it's damaged! And the title was literally what I said that time.

The first page of my passport (information page, the one that is laminated and has your photo) was folded. I have tried straightening it up but the paper has lamination and can't be just fixed in simple ways.

Yellow lanes shows visual illustration of where my passport got folded

Mutilated or damaged passports are those that are in not good condition such as pages are torn(punit), bend/folded (tupi), has water damaged (nabasa), eaten by their dog, vandalized (may sulat), missing or tampered pages or the worst - hard cover was detached from the pages and especially if the chips embedded are no more readable by the machine (this we can’t physically check though)

Panic runs down me. First thing I did was to secure a passport appointment. Luckily, I got a schedule with an allowance of 19 working days before my trip. Regular processing will take 15 working days and 7 working days for rush. Of course, rush processing has additional charge.

PASSPORT PAYMENT AMOUNTS

Regular passport: 950 pesos

Express Processing: +250 pesos

Total for rush = 1200 pesos

As anxiety adds up on the next days, I read forums and news about the releasing dates and renewal since it's my last Alas. My hope of travelling on the next month was slowly deteriorating as I read "hate tweets" about their passport, despite of processing rush, are still delayed leading to their work and travel plans postponed.

I thought on several plans and ideas such as validating my passport in DFA and immigration hoping for some assurance that I can still use it.

So here are the things I did:

• I called the DFA support. They said that any form of damaged is considered as mutilated and suggests to have it renewed.
• On the following day, I called again. The agent suggests to have it checked by immigration as they have the last say about it. Though DFA will consider the passport, the immigration will still be the one to decide if they will allow you or not.
• Next day, I went to NAIA 3 hoping that I can talk with someone from the immigration. From the airport, I went directly to the information counter and the personnel happily assisted me. She called the immigration office via phone and had someone talked to me regarding my issue. Unfortunately, the immigration officer endorse me to the main branch in Intramuros cause I'm not allowed to go inside the immigration office in the airport since they only allowed someone with flight ticket. I also went to the check-in counter of the plane operator of my flight hoping that they have a reader to validate my passport. Unfortunately, they didn’t entertain me.
• I also went to DFA Aseana office hoping that I can get some sort of certification proving that my passport is still ok. But the information personnel said that it's already mutilated.
• So my last option is to have it renewed.

Requirements for mutilated passport are as follow:

• Printed application form from the online schedule
• Affidavit of Mutilation. You can get this at any notary public. I got mine for 200 pesos - 2 copies.
• Original and photocopy of any Government ID. If you have no government id you can check the complete list of valid ID from DFA site.
• Original and photocopy of your passport. Photocopy the front and back page (passport owner information page and the 'in case of accident' info page)
• Mutilated passport can only be renewed at DFA Aseana Branch. Satellite offices only process New Application and expired passport renewal.

Renewal of mutilated passport is as easy as getting a new one. But an interview will be done as an extra step.

During the interview the consul said that mine is not mutilated because the machine can still read. I have options to still use it but I need to go to immigration Intramuros main branch to validate since - again - they are the last say. The second option is to have it renewed but they will tag it as early renewal. If for instance I apply again for early renewal, they may refuse to process it for the second time. I have it renewed and process it rush for 7 days.

For process on how to get a Passport Renewal, please visit my other post: DFA Passport Renewal

I'll keep you posted once I got my passport and if it's indeed 7 days processing!

Update: Yes I've got my passport after 7 days rush processing. Though mind that you need to wait (in my case 30mins) and fall in line again. But its better than getting it next days right?