How to Renew Your Philippine Passport

I previously posted about the 7 handy tips that you must know when renewing your Philippine passport. Those 7 tips will help you avoid mistakes that will cause hassle to your day in DFA Consular Office.

Now, in this post, I list the steps that I went through when I renewed my Philippine passport last December last year. Take note that the steps posted here is only for DFA Consular Affairs office in ASEANA Business Park located along Macapagal Boulevard, Paranaque City.

Before going further to the step-by-step procedure, you should know first the following requirements for Philippine passport renewal:

1. Your expired or expiring Philippine passport
2. e-Passport Application Form (with confirmed appointment) that you got from the DFA online appointment system
3. At least two valid IDs that contain your recent photo, refer to my post “Acceptable IDs for Philippine Passport Application” for the list of valid Ids
5. Photocopy of expired or expiring Philippine passport. The pages that you must photocopy are the page that contains your photo and details, and the last page of the Philippine passport.
6. Supporting documents that will prove your identity. These documents are optional but you should bring it just in case the DFA demands it. Read my post “Acceptable IDs for Philippine Passport Application” for the list of acceptable supporting documents.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Step-by-Step Procedure in Renewing Your Philippine Passport

Step 1: Set appointment in the DFA website

The very first step is by going to the DFA website to set an appointment for your Philippine passport renewal. Their system will let you choose the date and time when you will go to DFA – Consular Affairs Office. You can also set an appointment not only to the Consular Affairs Office but also to the DFA satellite offices around the country.

Read my post “How to Set an Appointment for Philippine Passport Application” to guide you in making an online appointment with the DFA.

Step 2: Appointment Verification

Enter Door 5 of the Consular Affairs Office and look for the booth where you can have your appointment and documents check. Make sure that you have the complete documents before proceeding to this step.

Step 3: Checking of Application Form and Requirements

Go to Door 1 – ground floor for another verification and checking of your passport renewal application form, IDs, and other requirements. This is the step where the DFA clerk assesses you application. Make sure that you already have the photocopy of your passport, your IDs, and other documents before going to this step. You’ll get a billing form in this step.

Take note that this is where you will spend a long time queuing in this step. I actually spent almost an hour waiting in line.

Step 4: Payment of Fees

Go to the second floor (of Door 1) and look for the Cashier Window where you can pay the fees for Philippine passport renewal. Just provide the Billing Form that you obtained in Step 3 when paying. Don’t forget your obtain your official receipt.

Step 5: Processing of Passport Renewal

Go to the booth where you’ll get the queue number then wait for your number to be called. This is the step for personal data encoding, photo capturing, and finger scanning. The queue for this step is also quite long so make sure you have a book or tablet to while away the time. Don’t forget to obtain the Claim Slip after this step.

Step 6: Claim Your Philippine Passport

Return to DFA Consular Affairs office on the date indicated on your Claim Slip. Enter Door 5 and go to the Releasing Section (Window 36) and give your official receipt and Claim Slip to the clerk. Wait for your name to be called to get your new Philippine passport.

I spent less than 30 minutes before I got my new Philippine passport. I suggest that you check if your name and other details in your passport are correct before you leave the DFA Consular Affairs office.

Take note that Philippine passports unclaimed for 6 months or more will be cancelled.

So these are the steps in renewing your Philippine passport in the DFA Consular Affairs Office. Please be reminded that DFA may change the procedures and the steps posted here might not be applicable in the future.

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Do you have other concerns with the Philippine passport? Be guided by reading the following posts:

Tips on Applying for a Philippine Passport
How to Set an Appointment for Philippine Passport Application
7 Handy Tips for a Hassle-Free Renewal of Philippine Passport
How to Cancel Appointment for Philippine Passport Application
Acceptable IDs for Philippine Passport Application
Applying for a Passport? How to go to DFA Office

Share your questions or reactions regarding the renewal of Philippine passport by a leaving a comment on this post.
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7 Handy Tips for a Hassle-Free Renewal of Philippine Passport

Last year, my boss told me that I had to prepare for another office-sponsored trip to Malaysia. I was excited and happy, of course, for another opportunity of traveling outside of the Philippines. But there’s a catch: my Philippine passport is already expired.

As we all know, the Philippine passport is our ticket to legally get out of the country. So, I had no choice but to go the Consular Affairs Office and renew my Philippine passport.

The passport renewal process was not awful but it took me almost a whole day (renewal application + claiming of new passport) just to get my new passport. Aside from the usual time-wasting queue, I didn’t experience any other hassle when I renewed my passport.

So to help you have the same hassle-free experience as me, I suggest that you follow these handy tips:

Tip # 1:  Avoid the Street Vendors

 

Ignore vendors of brown and plastic envelopes outside of the Consular Affairs office. You don’t need those things. All you need to submit is the passport renewal application form, photocopy of your valid IDs, and photocopy of your old passport.

Tip # 2: Set Online Appointment

Set an appointment through the DFA website first before going to the DFA Consular Affairs office. Read my post “How to Make an Appointment for Philippine Passport Application” for the step-by-step procedures setting an online appointment for passport application and renewal.

Tip # 3: Avoid Fixers Like the Plague

Don’t deal with fixers because (1) it is against the law and (2) some fixers provide their clients with fake Philippine passports. It’s better to waste time because of the long queue than be blacklisted by DFA and Bureau of Immigration because of fake passport.

Tip # 4: Avoid Bringing Companions

Only people with appointment and passport renewal form can enter the DFA Consular Affairs office. Security guards will block your companions and they will have no choice but to wait for you outside. This is a big hassle for them because the application process may take for more than an hour.

Tip # 5: Photocopy all Documents

Photocopy your valid ID, the passport renewal application form, and your old passport before going to the DFA Consular Affairs office because the photocopy services in the area are overpriced.

Tip # 6: Be the Early Bird

Go to DFA early, or at least an hour before your appointment because you can enter their office even before your appointed time. It happened to when the guard allowed me to enter at 1 PM even though my appointment is 2 PM.

Tip # 7: Beware of Thick-Faced Singiteros

Be alert and always mind your queue. There are many Pinoys who will do their best to cut the queue instead of going to the end of the line.

Renewing your Philippine passport will be less of a hassle when you follow these tips. I know that there are more tips that you can share with us when it comes to renewal or first time Philippine passport application. I suggest that you share those tips with us through the comment box below.

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Why You Should Hire a Professional Translation Agency

I always go to Google Translate whenever I encounter non-English words or sentences. This translation tool from Google is perfect for my personal use even though I read negative comments about it. Some people say that Google Translate doesn’t give the correct translation. What’s worse is that it can’t translate idioms in non-English language.

Google Translate is good enough for personal non-professional use but this tool will be a disaster if used by professionals and corporations. If this is the case then what should professionals and organizations use to translate their documents? The answer is hiring a translation agency.

Aside from obvious advantages compared to free translation tools, the following are the reasons for hiring professional translation agencies:

1. Professional translation agencies offer specialized services for various fields (i.e. legal, medical, technical, and financial).

2. Professional translation agencies offer translation services for a wide range of languages. Rosetta Translation, which is a professional translation agency, offers translation for 23 languages.

3. Compared to free translation tools, professional translation agencies have team of highly qualified experts like translators, proofreaders, and editors.

4. Professional translation agencies provide services that are tailor-made for their clients. This is means that clients will get translation results that fit their needs.

5. Professional translation agencies are strict in quality control and adhere to international standards. This guarantees that clients will high quality translated documents that meet their requirements.

There are more reasons to hire professional translation companies but the ones I listed on this post should be enough to convince you to ditch free translation tools.  Don’t go to Google translate for your professional translation needs. Go to professional translation agencies.

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This post is brought to you by Rosetta Translation.

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