New Passport Procedures

[Sheriff Uling 3]

Pilipinas Teleserv Inc. Gives Passport Applicants Much Sought After Convenience

Last September 17, 2007, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had started issuing machine-readable passports to all passport applicants. Under the new system, applicants have to personally appear at the DFA, sign and affix their thumbprints on their application form before a consular officer.

Due to the shift to the new system and the expected surge in the number of passport applicants, people are advised to apply or renew their passports way ahead of their expected travel time. However, with that expectation, the DFA in coordination with Pilipinas Teleserv Inc., the foremost Citizen Services provider in the country, initiated the 24-hour Passport Assistance Hotline 737-1000.

With the 24-hour Passport Assistance hotline, renewal applicants can now call and have their passports picked-up and pre-processed for them. After pre-processing, the applicant will be scheduled to appear before the DFA consular officer where they will affix their thumbmarks and signature. Teleserv's personnel will be ready to escort and assist the client the moment they arrive at the DFA. With this faster passport processing procedure dubbed “Green Lane passport Assistance, on the average, the process will only take about 10 minutes of the applicant's time, doing away with long and tedious steps encountered by ordinary passport applicants. The service also comes with a door-to-door delivery that covers the whole country from Batanes to Jolo.

Unlike the old passport version, where the name and other personal information is written down, the new passport is similar to foreign visas, where a sticker containing all these data is stuck on the first page. Under ultraviolet light, the information page reveals the security features that include the seal of the Republic of the Philippines. The picture itself contains the name of the holder and a ghost-picture. On the inner pages, images like the sampaguita flower, Rizal monument, Mayon volcano and others can also be seen under UV light.

Please check the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) website for more details at www.passport.com.ph. Applicants may call (632) 737-1000 or email inquiries, comments, suggestions and site problems directly at info@passport.com.ph

As always, cheers...

Sheriff Uling

NOTE: This update was brought to you by PW (Cora)

[july052007 0]

yup ur right! i have mine renewed and it looks bad ###!! no signature appearing on passport though,... dont know why...

[spidergirl 0]

I have renewed my passport before via phone, they sent a messenger to pick up my old passport and he also the one who deliver a new passport to me, I didn't make an appearance. But that was the old passport version and it didn't need a thumb mark. Looks like this new version is fine it will keep other people from tampering your passport if you lost it, but you still have to appear at DFA for thumb mark

[stuartx13 3]

so will the old passports still be good till they expire?

[july052007 0]

so will the old passports still be good till they expire?

yup!! still good til they expire!

[Jasman0717 9]

Right on

[lirachadsbaby 0]

thanks for the info sherriff

[joemaria 0]

thanks for this info Sheriff Uling...you're really a great help!

[alexandra8886 0]

the new passport is nice..ive seen one of it thru a friend..

its quit similar with the UK passport..