DFA: ‘Unclaimed Passports’ from Dec 2020 to be disposed in Jan 2022
The Department of Foreign Affairs – Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA) announced yesterday that unclaimed passports from December 2020 or earlier will be disposed of on January 10, 2022.
The decision is in accordance with the DFA Department Order No. 2021-012 on the Disposal of Unclaimed and Spoiled Passport.
Also read: PSA: DFA Extends Temporary Off-Site Passport Services until Dec 2021
Philippine Passport/IMAGE from Unsplash
“A passport left unclaimed by its holder one (1) year after the date it was received by DFA Aseana, or by the Consular Office (CO) or by the Foreign Services Post (FSP) shall be canceled,” the DFA said.
In line with this, the DFA-OCA reminds the public of the following:
- Those yet to claim their passports, which were scheduled for release in December 2020 or earlier, may do so until 07 January 2022 (Friday) at the DFA Consular Office where they were processed.
- Those who are unable to claim their passports at the respective DFA Consular Offices before 7 January 2022 must file a new passport application after securing a certificate of unclaimed passport from DFA Aseana or at the DFA Consular Office where they were processed.
- Passports scheduled for release after December 2020 are not affected and may still be claimed from the DFA Consular Office where they were processed.
Although DFA clarified that no penalty is given for passports claimed at a later date, they encouraged the public to claim their passports within thirty (30) days from its scheduled release.
Also read: Passport Application 101: Requirements to Get a Philippine Passport
If the applicant is not available upon pick-up, an authorized person or representative can claim the passport on their behalf provided that the authorized persons comply with the requirements indicated on DFA’s website.
Source: DFA
Written by Cedie Salido
