Pinay on the Loose: How to Apply for a Philippine Passport

Applying for Philippine passport today has become easier and simpler thanks to modern technology. If you're reading this right now, it means you're preparing yourself to do all the process without the help of any travel agencies or fixers. GOOD! You have just taken the first step. Because you don't need them, trust me! Don't stress yourself too much because I'm telling you, it's really easy and won't cost you extra bucks for the help that you can actually do on your own.

Alrighty! Let's get down to business!

We all know how important Philippine passport is. For some, it could be used as main identification or a proof of citizenship, others need it for working abroad but mostly, it's required to have when travelling outside of the country. So it's best to do it right and it's best to be prepared!

Applying for Philippine passport is broken down to 3 main steps. That is: Preparing the REQUIREMENTS, Booking an APPOINTMENT and PERSONAL APPEARANCE.

First things first, know the REQUIREMENTS! People would advise to book an appointment first but personally, I think it's best to have all the needed requirements first before booking an appointment because if you're lacking even ONE requirement, it could take FOREVER to get it. You know how long the queue can get in government agencies. Don't worry about booking your DFA appointment because they have actually opened up a LOT of slots and in many locations. And now for official list of requirements, go to this LINK. Don't stress yourself in getting so many. I did that when I applied and ended up wasting my time and effort because they only asked for my main documents and that is my original Birth Certificate/Newly acquired birth record from NSO, photocopy of my valid IDs/supporting IDs (at the time I had Postal ID, PhilHealth ID and old school ID photocopied in one paper), a photocopy of a page in my yearbook where it has my picture on it and then that's it! I guess ultimately, the goal is to just prove them that you are who you are and that your documents are authentic. Prior to processing my passport on my own, I asked for a travel agency to do it for me and they asked a bunch of requirements which was actually not needed. Some of those documents are NBI clearance, Barangay and purok clearance, Voter's certificate (because I didn't have my voter's ID yet), SSS certificate and PhilHealth MDR. Mind you, those documents are not easy to get! But I took time to get all prepped up but in the end, the travel agency informed me that the DFA will no longer allow them to process passports. So that forced me to do it on my own and thank God I did it! Not only do they charge more than the actual cost of passport processing fee but they also gave me lot of hassle! Anyway, moving on.

Now that your requirements are all set, time to BOOK AN APPOINTMENT! To do so, please go to this LINK and click on "Schedule an Appointment" and then click on "Start Appointment" button that pops up.

NOTES & REMINDERS:

*Please bring original and photocopies of your documents on your appearance date.

NO APPOINTMENT IS NEEDED for the following:

Senior Citizen with Senior Citizen ID

Person with Disability (PWDs) with PWD ID or visible disability

Solo Parent with Valid Solo Parent ID

Pregnant women with medical certificate

Minors seven (7) years old and below

You may avail of the PRIORITY LANE at DFA Aseana or at any DFA Satellite Office or Regional Consular Office to apply for your passport.

Select a location where you want to process your passport (I did mine in DFA SM Ecoland Davao.). Once you see an open slot that is convenient for you, select on that date and then from here on out, you will be entering your information in an online form. It's VERY important that you put only true and correct data to avoid delay or cancellation of your appointment. After filling it up, print the application form in A4-size paper.

Now that you're requirements and application form are set, all you have to do is make a personal appearance!

TIPS ON THE DAY OF APPEARANCE/FINAL PHILIPPINE PASSPORT PROCESSING:

1. Bring a PEN! I cannot stress enough how important that is. Please don't hassle anyone by borrowing their pen (and not actually returning it). If I'm the other person, as much as I like to help someone, I'd still be annoyed because ANYONE should know this basic rule. BRING A PEN! You're friggin' signing and filling in forms, how could you not think of bringing a pen? Okay so you might think, ahh they have a pen on location, don't they? Well yeah but do you really want to swim thru the crowd or wait in line just so you could use a pen? NO. Be smart. Save yourself the trouble and bring a pen! :D

2. Dress appropriately. You are entering a government office so mind what you are wearing on your appointment day. Don't wear shorts, tattered jeans and slippers. Sleeveless is okay but it would be nice if you opt not to. *wink*

3. Be on your selected location at least 30 minutes before the scheduled time.

4. Eat before you go because it could take a little while. You can't just go in and out during the whole process.

5. Be observant. Don't be shy to ask if you're unsure what to do. Mostly, it's easy to follow the person in front of you or you can just ask someone in charge what to do next. I noticed that common mistakes would be affixing your signature on the form before the personnel checks it. Please be careful with that. They have to check your form beforehand to make sure there are no errors or anything anomaly going on with your form before your could affix your signature and totally entering the premises.

6. If you can, please bring the exact amount/passport processing fee to hasten the process. Current processing fee is PHP950 (21 days) for regular processing days and PHP1,200 for express (15 days) and for appointments made on Saturdays.

7. This is sometimes neglected but very important too. If you have something on your face that's only temporary like henna tattoo, an acne or a bad allergy, please do your best effort to cover it up. Because in your passport photo, this could give you a new identity than what you actually look like because as I said, these are temporary. That almost happened to my friend. She had a bad allergy at the time and the personnel asked her to reschedule when her face has cleared up. But for us, that's not an option. Good thing we asked if we could cover it up with makeup and the personnel kindly allowed us to do so.

8. Rather than falling in line to get your passport (yay!), have it delivered to you instead. For only PHP165, a courier will deliver your passport without any hassle. You will usually spot them at the side of the premises where you have your final passport processing.

There are signs that point where the next section or step is so you don’t have to worry about getting lost or making a mistake. Asking someone wouldn't hurt too!

Thanks for reading and good luck! *wink*

Love ya pretties! Take care!