DFA set to give passport services to OFWs in POEA

The Department of Foreign Affairs will start giving on April 15 passport services to Filipino migrant workers at the office of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration in Pasig City.

In a statement, the DFA said passport applications by OFWs filed at this satellite office will be processed and released after seven working days, at most,  for a fee of P750, or after 14 working days for a fee of P500.

The DFA said Philippine passport fees are still among the lowest in the world. Aside from this, most foreign countries take at least six weeks for passport processing, it said.

According to the agency, the establishment of the satellite office is aimed at easing the load of applications filed at the DFA’s main office in Pasay City.

Since July 2007, DFA has been issuing the Machine Readable Passport (MRP), which contains data summary in a format that is capable of being read by a machine.

The DFA has been able to process 6,000 passport applications a day since the computerized system was introduced last year.

As all countries in the world now issue and use MRPs, the MRP system in the Philippines meets all the requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization, facilitates the passport check at the port of entry, increases the credibility of Philippine passports and secures better the holder’s identity, the statement said.

Moreover, the DFA also advised the public to file their passport applications way ahead of their intended travel date.

Requirements include personal appearance and submission of the completed application form, three colored passport photos with royal blue background, authenticated birth certificate and at least two government-issued identification cards and documents proving the applicant’s identity and citizenship.