Tips for an easy, hassle-free Machine Readable Philippine Passport application

I have not updated my blog in the past few days. I was busy with my passport application and had a short vacation with my family. Now, I am back bringing vital information that I think will be of help to followers of this blog, most specially Filipinos.

My post now is out of our usual topics on computer and internet. It is, basically, a quick guide for Filipinos out there who want to apply for a passport. It will be easier for you to get one after reading the whole post.

Before anything else, you need to have the following:

1. Duly accomplished "Machine Readable Passport" application form. You can download the front and back of the application form from the Department of Foreign Affairs website.
2. 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.
3. Three (3) colored photos taken against a royal blue background. Applicant should be in decent attaire 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.
4. Proof of identity / Supporting documents indicating full name, date and place of birth and citizenship.
5. Other supporting documents (secure at least three of these and have it photocopied; more is better):
   

• Marriage Contract
• PRC / IBP ID
• Land Title
• Driver's License
• Government Service Record
• Old SSS-E1 form / digitized SSS-ID
• School Form 137 or Transcript of Records
• Voter's Registration Record
• Baptismal Certificate
• Seaman's Book
• Income Tax Return (old)
• Other documents that show full name and birth details of applicant and citizenship.

Personal appearance is required - except when the applicant is:

• 8 years old and younger;
• 65 years old and older;
• mentally or physically incapacitated.

Once you have downloaded the application form, see the back for very important details.

The passport fees are as follows:

• Regular Processing = Five Hundred Pesos (Php500.00), which will take 22 working days (as what I have read in the bulletin board of DFA Davao; old is 14 working days).

• Expedited processing = Additional Two Hundred Fifty Pesos (+Php250.00), which will take 12 working days to process (again, as posted in DFA Davao's bulletin board; old is 7 working days).

I think the new time spans were set due to the implementation of the new Machine Readable Passport.

Tips

• Write legibly on the application form and verify that the data you have written on it is the same as what are printed in the attachments. In short, be consistent.

• Have your photo taken at a photo center nearest to the DFA Office. Most photo service centers faraway do not know the exact background color. It is royal blue alright, but the shading may vary from what the DFA requires. In my own experience, I had my photo taken twice because the quality of the first one is different from the DFA standard.
  

• Go to the DFA Office as early as you can. The DFA Office opens at eight o'clock in the morning. Some applicants may have already waited as early as four o'clock in the morning. Those who come from afar were already there the night before, bringing with them malongs and jackets, slept at a corner or inside their vehicle, just to ensure that they be first in the line.

• Do not be fooled by fixers. What they will do first is to asked you if you already have an application form. In a nice way, respond to them that your documents are complete and they will go away.
  

• Make sure you get a priority number. In Davao City, the DFA accomodates three hundred applicants a day if I am not mistaken. They will accomodate one hundred and fifty applicants in the morning and the rest in the afternoon. If you happen to have the number 151 stamped in your application form, go back in the afternoon. They will cut-off at number 150 during lunchbreak. You do not have to wait in there and waste your time, you can do a lot in five hours. Go home or enjoy your half-day at the mall.
  

• Double-check your documents before coming in. Check whether the attachments are stapled altogether. Your photo must be placed in the box in the application form and the other two copies sealed in a cellophane pouch and stapled at the lower left part of the form.

• Bring your Yearbook and/or Postal ID. What? Yes, a Yearbook and/or a Postal ID. Just bring it. Present it in lieu of lacking documents.

Steps

There are three steps an applicant must undergo during his application. These are based on my personal experience with DFA Davao.

1. Documents Evaluation - this is a crucial stage. Be sure you bring with you all the required documents. The DFA personnel will scrutinize the documents. He will compare your data in the application form to your data in the attachments. A discrepancy could mean a denial so be extra careful. Of course you will be advised what to bring the next time you apply but come to think of the time, money and effort to be spent. Also, as some applicants may have overlooked, wearing of a decent attire during the presentation of documents is a plus. If the interviewer will see that you are serious in getting a passport by just looking at the way you present yourself, you will not have a hard time. A clean collared polo shirt will help strengthen further your chance for an approval. In my case, I have presented together with the accomplished application form a NSO authenticated BC and a photocopy of my office ID, SSS-ID and BIR-ID. This process usually takes 2-4 minutes. Go back to your seat and wait for another 10-15 minutes for the next step.
   
2. Encoding and fingerprinting. Your name will be called and in the counter you will be given enough time to check the encoded data to be shown on a computer screen. Check the spelling and the figures if they were correctly encoded. Once verified, you will be given a document in duplicate and will be asked to put your signature inside two boxes and to put your left and right thumb marks thereafter on those documents. This process will take 2 minutes. Sit back and relax for another 10-15 minutes before the final step.
3. Records Verification and Payment. Once you are finished paying the passport fees, a Receipt and Passport Slip will be issued by the Cashier. The cashier will then point you to the claim date notice which is usually posted in a white paper placed in the Cashier's window.

I am quite sure that you are already guided with these tips. My recommendation is for you to get a passport today. Who knows there might be job opportunities abroad. It will be easier for you to grab one if you are ready, right?

To end this post, I would like to commend the management and staff of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Davao City for a very systematic approach in attending to clients. The sections are organized resulting to a smooth-sailing operation. The staff, from the Security Guard to the Cashier, are very accomodating. The office is clean and well-airconditioned. DFA Davao is one of the best government offices I have seen so far.

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