Passport Application 101: Requirements to Get a Philippine Passport

Updated as of May 25, 2021
First Published on Sep 28, 2018 

These days, traveling is easier than ever before. Social media helped generate the buzz and now, there are a lot of people who have placed traveling in their bucket lists. Of course, to meet their travel goals, a valid passport is usually needed. So how does a Filipino citizen apply for a passport?

NEW PASSPORT (ADULT)

Contrary to what others say, it really isn’t difficult to understand what the requirements are when applying for a passport:

Passport application infographic/IMAGE Department of Foreign Affairs Facebook page

1. Anyone applying for a passport not qualified to use the courtesy lane must have a confirmed appointment slot which you can set here.
2. An accomplished application form which you can find here.
3. Applicant must personally appear at the DFA office of their choice on the date and time of their appointment.
4. Applicant must have an ORIGINAL copy of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Birth Certificate on Security Paper.

• For married females using their spouse’s last name, an ORIGINAL copy of the PSA Authenticated Marriage Contract on Security Paper or Report on Marriage is also needed.

4. Any of the accepted valid IDs plus ONE PHOTOCOPY.

Also read: DFA Satellite Offices in Metro Manila

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

The four requirements are usually all that’s needed when applying for a passport but there are cases when supporting documents are needed.

LATE REGISTRATION OF BIRTH CERTIFICATE

1. If the Birth Certificate was registered 10 years ago, it will be treated as a regular application and no additional supporting documents are needed.
2. If the Birth Certificate was registered less than 10 years ago, the applicant must submit IDs that PRE-DATE the late registration.
3. Should the applicant have no IDs that pre-date the late registration, applicant must produce CURRENT IDs AND a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance.

Only the following can apply for a passport without an appointment/IMAGE Department of Foreign Affairs Facebook page

APPLICANT HAS NO BIRTH CERTIFICATE OR RECORD OF BIRTH

Also read: DFA Accommodates More Applicants with ‘Passport On Wheels’

1. If the applicant was born AFTER 1950, they have to file for late registration with the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) or Consular Office that has jurisdiction over their birthplace. Proceed as above.
2. If the applicant was born ON OR BEFORE 1950, the applicant must submit ORIGINAL copies of PSA Authenticated Certificate of No Birth Record AND Affidavit of TWO Disinterested Persons attesting to the applicant’s identity.

APPLICANT’S MARRIAGE HAS BEEN DISSOLVED AND WANTS TO REVERT TO HER MAIDEN SURNAME

1. Submit the ORIGINAL copy of Annotated PSA Marriage Certificate (MC) or Report of Marriage (ROM) stating that the marriage has been dissolved
2. If annotated MC or ROM from PSA is not yet available, the applicant must submit a Certified True Copy of the Court Order dissolving the marriage AND a certificate of Finality from the court.

Also read: DFA removes travel agencies’ reserved slots for passport appointments

BIRTH CERTIFICATE OR REPORT OF BIRTH HAS LACKING DATA

1. Submit proof of filing supplemental report or correction from the Local Civil Registrar.

DISCREPANCY OF DATA IN BIRTH CERTIFICATE/REPORT OF BIRTH AND OTHER DOCUMENTS

1. If the discrepancy is in the Birth Certificate, the applicant must submit annotated birth certificate authenticated by PSA reflecting the corrected entry. If the discrepant data is in the other documents, the birth certificate will be followed.
2. Discrepancy in First Name – Applicant should submit a COPY of the petition and supporting documents for correction of the first name filed with the Local Civil Registrar or consulate.
3. Discrepancy in other data – Applicant must submit annotated birth certificate authenticated by PSA reflecting the corrected entry.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP

1. ORIGINAL PSA authenticated Birth Certificate/Report of Birth AND ORIGINAL Identification Certificate issued by the Philippine Foreign Service Post (FSP) OR the Bureau of Immigration (BI) AND a photocopy.
2. Government-issued IDs (Philippine or from the country of second citizenship)

NATURALIZED FILIPINO CITIZEN

1. Identification Certificate of Naturalization from BI

FILIPINO CITIZEN BY ELECTION

1. Affidavit of Election of Philippine Citizenship
2. Identification Certificate of Election from BI

GRANT OF CITIZENSHIP BY ACT OF LEGISLATION

1. Certified True Copy of the law granting citizenship
2. Foreign Birth Certificate authenticated by Philippine FSP

Reminder to everyone applying for a passport/IMAGE Department of Foreign Affairs Facebook page

VALID IDs

Since the proposal for a national ID has only been approved recently, accepted IDs vary from one agency to the next. The Department of Foreign Affairs only accepts the following valid IDs:

1. Social Security System (SSS)/ Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Unified Multi-Purpose Identification (UMID) Card
2. Land Transportation Office (LTO) Driver’s License. Student Permits may be accepted if in card format
3. Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) ID
4. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)/ Integrated Department of Labor and Employment (iDOLE) Card
5. Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Voter’s ID or Voter’s Certification from the Officer of Election with Dry Seal
6. Philippine National Police (PNP) Firearms License
7. Senior Citizen ID
8. School ID (if applicable)
9. Valid ePassport (for renewal)
10. Residence Card (for applicants overseas)

List of Valid IDs/IMAGE Department of Foreign Affairs Facebook page

NOTE: The Department may ask to see additional supporting documents as may be necessary.

PROCESSING FEE AND DURATION

Passport processing fees for both new applications and renewal are as follows:

• Regular Processing – Php 950
• Expedited Processing – Php 1,200
• Penalty for lost and mutilated passports – Php 350.00

Applications made at the Consular Offices in Metro Manila, processing and releasing of passports take 12 working days for regular processing and 6 working days for expedited processing. Applications made outside Metro Manila, processing and releasing of passports take 12 working days for regular processing and 7 working days for expedited processing. For all Philippine Foreign Service Posts, processing and releasing of passports take around 4-6 weeks.

New DFA passport releasing period beginning October 1, 2018/IMAGE Department of Foreign Affairs Facebook page

The above timetables do not include courier delivery.

Validity of E-Passport

Based on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), e-Passports have an embedded electronic chip in the passport booklet that saves the biographical information on the second page of the passport.

In line with this, the Department of Foreign Affairs recently announced that extension of e-Passport validity is no longer allowed as of October 2019, in compliance with the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization. DFA advised that travelers must renew their passports at least one year before the expiry date.

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Source: Department of Foreign Affairs, DFA Frequently Asked Questions