DFA: Machine Readable Passport (MRP) and e-Passport Application Fees, Requirements and Tips

So much information you can see on many blogs posting you need to renew your old Philippine passport (the green one) for by so and so you won't be able to travel outside the country.

This is incorrect.

All Tutubi can tell you is this, direct from the official website of the Department of Foreign Affairs: If you still have the green passport (like Tutubi's) and not yet expiring, don't renew yet to get the Machine-Readable Passport (MRP) for pretty soon the government through the Department of Foreign Affairs will issue electronic passports or ePassports.

Differences between the old green passport, machine readable and e-passport:

The old green passport (sometimes brown) has your picture pasted on the passport and data information handwritten making it easy to forge by forgers (like those in Recto University)

Machine-Readable Passports, the maroon-colored ones, can be read directly by machines, and have built-in security features to combat fraud, identity-theft and counterfeiting. The photo of the passport holder is scanned, not pasted and information is computerized and not handwritten. Additional security features are a hologram with a barcode and specially-encoded information that can be read only by the passport reading machine plus the the use of a thicker security thread binder to deter tampering and alteration.

The new e-pasport, has a 64kb embedded chip that stores personal information about the passport holder protected with encryption and thus the most secure of the three passports. With this development, the Philippines will join 60 other countries that issue e-passports, the new global standard set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The Philippine e-passport system is designed by the French-Belgian company Francois Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire (FCOF).


What if you still have the old green passport?

Caveat with the green passport is that it'll take a longer time to queue at Immigration lines at the airport due to manual verification of records instead of just swiping your MRP or e-passport at the machines plus additional questions from immigration people.

Passport Processing Fee and Processing Time:

Passport processing fee is PhP 500.00 for 14-working day processing.
Express passport processing within seven working days, additional processing fee of PhP 250.00
Replacement of lost valid passport: PhP700.00

Passport Application Requirements:

1. Mandatory Personal appearance
2. Completed application form,
3. Three pieces of colored passport photos with royal blue background,
4. Authenticated birth certificate (from the National Statistics Office (NSO))
5. At least two government-issued identification cards
6. Documents proving the applicant's identity and citizenship

The passport application form and guidelines may be downloaded at www.dfa.gov.ph website:

How to apply for Machine Readable Passport:

http://www.dfa.gov.ph/consular/stepbystep.htm

GUIDELINES ON NEW PHOTO REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW PASSPORT MACHINE READABLE (MRP). Download guidelines in PDF format.

Passport Application Without the Queue (for Busy People who can't afford to wait in line):

If you're in Manila, you can set an appointment for personal appearance by filling out this form and wait for confirmation of your schedule sent to your email. This way, you can save time not to fall in line. The DFA is notorious for long queues like other government offices as well as fixers offering their services for the "express lane" though some are just scams or scammers in disguise.

How to get to the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) in Pasay City:

Commute: DFA, the fastest way, is to take the LRT and get off at Libertad Station. From there, transfer to jeepneys going to DFA/Cuneta Astrodome coming from Evangelista, Bangkal, Makati. You can also get to Libertad via jeepneys in Quiapo with signboard Libertad/EDSA or Baclaran (both Mabini or Taft will do)

Driving directions to DFA:
From Quiapo, head towards Roxas Boulevard then drive all the way until you see HK Sun Plaza. DFA is opposite the shopping mall so you need to make a U-turn. From Makati or SLEX, drive towards Buendia, right on Roxas Boulevard then turn right on Libertad St. Be careful with parking your vehicle or car there on the service road.

For OFWs, there is a DFA Satellite Office at the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) at the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue, accessible via MRT Ortigas Avenue Station or G-Liner/RRCG buses from Quiapo and Cainta.

Related Post:
Bureau of Immigration