Getting Philippine ePassport or Machine Readable Passports (MRP)
January 25, 2009
Maroon is the new green. For Philippine passports, that is.
The new maroon-colored passport is machine-readable, in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s requirement. Green passports, however, will still be valid until their validity date according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), but there might be a catch.
Read it here: Green passports OK until validity date but…
Photo requirements
The photo of the new passport must show a full frontal shot of the passport holder’s face, occupying approximately 70-80% of the photograph. The photograph should be printed on good quality photo paper, preferably matte, and must be free from ink marks, dirt, grease, or other stains.
Background color of the pic must be royal blue or dark blue. Size must be 4.5 cm x 3.5 cm.
Applicant should be in decent attire with collar and sleeves and in dark-colored shirt. Ears and forehead should be visible. Wearing of accessories, colored contact lenses or eyeglasses, with name/name board are not allowed.
Application requirements – New applicants
- Personal Appearance is required
- Duly accomplished application form
- Birth Certificate in Security Paper (SECPA) issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO); if unreadable, bring a Certified True Copy of Birth Certificate issued by the Local Civil Registrar
- Three (3) colored photos of the applicant (see photo requirements above)
- Original ID (e.g., Senior Citizen’s ID, Voter’s ID, digitized government-issued IDs like SSS, PRC, BIR, Driver’s License, original school ID for students only) AND original supporting documents indicating full name, date and place of birth and citizenship (see list below)
- NBI Clearance (not required if presenting 2 digitized Identification Cards)
- NSO Marriage Certificate of parents if Last & Middle name are foreign sounding (Chua, Ong, etc)
Application requirements – Renewal for those holding brown passports or passports issued BEFORE May 1, 1995
- Personal Appearance is required
- Old passport and photocopy of passport pages 1,2,3 (amendment)
- The pages showing latest Bureau of Immigration departure and arrival stamps
- Supporting document (see list below) with complete middle name and Original ID
- Three (3) colored photos of the applicant (see photo requirements above)
- NSO Birth Certificate in Security Paper (SECPA) or Negative Birth Record from NSO if born in 1950 or below
Application requirements – Renewal for those holding green passports or passports issued AFTER May 1, 1995
- Personal Appearance is required
- Present passport and photocopy of pages 1,2,3 (amendment) inside and back cover
- The pages showing latest Bureau of Immigration departure and arrival stamps
- For illegitimate minor, personal appearance of mother is required
- Three (3) colored photos of the applicant (see photo requirements above)
Other supporting documents
- Marriage Contract
- PRC / IBP ID
- Land Title
- Driver’s License
- Government Service Record
- Old SSS-E1 form or digitized SSS-ID
- School Form 137 or Transcript of Records
- Other documents that show full name and birth details of applicant and/or citizenship
- Voter’s Registration Record
- Baptismal Certificate
- Seaman’s Book
- Income Tax Return (Old)
You can apply for a new passport at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) office.
Or if you want to save time, you may apply online or via phone using the Philippine Passport Express Delivery Service by Pilipinas Teleserv (www.passport.com.ph). Processing fee is P1,300 payable upon the delivery of your passport to your house.
* Note: We are NOT in any way related to Pilipinas Teleserv.
Discuss this in the discussion thread Machine-readable Philippine passport required by 2010.
January 27th, 2009 at %I:%M %p
Mr.James,
I am not surprised at all that your friend in the DFA seems to be confused as well.
For one, ttheir DFA website SUCKS bigtime! Their website was my starting point in searching for the facts regarding the MRP. And guess what I found…. NOTHING! They will bury you with all those crappy YOUTUBE videos that they forgot the basic information about it. Can you believe that!
The official website of the DFA is next to useless — nobody seemed to be thinking about its purpose for being there — which is information dissemination, among others.
Perhaps you can tell your friend this feedback.
For instance, isn’t it funny that they have the Citizen Services and Consular Services with sublinks to PASSPORT and yet NONE contain the basic information about the MRP?
C’mon DFA people, surely you can do better than that. Pasulitin nyo naman yung taxpayer’s money na ibinabayad sa inyo…
January 28th, 2009 at %I:%M %p
I found this…
MANILA, Philippines — If you are the owner of a manually scripted passport (green or brown) that is still valid beyond 2008, don’t rush into replacing it with a machine-readable passport.
Reason: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is scheduled to issue “electronic passports” to the public starting December.
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/107832/After-the-machine-readable-passport-now-comes-the-e-passport
January 29th, 2009 at %I:%M %p
Mr. James,
Any news from the DFA? I thought you said you would call them as you have mentioned in your last posting.
Also, my first posting containing the website/link of the Philippine Embassy in Singapore which is clearly mentioning the guidelines for regular green passports was omitted. Why?
In the interest of my fellow Pinoys reading this. Check out this link:
http://www.philippine-embassy.org.sg/index.cfm?GPID=229
May 19th, 2009 at %I:%M %p
Update here: Green passports until validity date but…
October 11th, 2009 at %I:%M %p
can somebody help me? the Canadian embassy sent a letter to my daughter to mailed
to them her passport for visa issuance, stating on the letter that it’s much easier
to facilitate if she will gave the maroon passport ( I thought it’s for all those
who will renew their passport and the validity is going to expired soon) that’s why
we sent the requirements together with the green passport that valid till 2012
is there gonna have a problem once the visa issued at the green passport? or is’t ok
if when she will going here in canada can she renew the passport and attached the green
passport w/ visa to the new maroon one? is’t possible? these bother me a lot?I need advice
for these..thank you very much…
February 19th, 2010 at %I:%M %p
Mykell,
Huwag kang mag alala, pag nakarating na sila dito using their nakakaduling na green na passport at kung gusto nilang mag renew ng bago, ang visa na nakalagay sa nakakaduling na green na passport ay hindi na kailangan basta mayroon na silang permanent res. card.
April 1st, 2010 at %I:%M %p
mykell dimaapi same problem here, did the canadian embassy gave your daughter an Immigration VISA using the old green passport?
July 11th, 2010 at %I:%M %p
The appointment system sounds pleasant to the ears but it is ABSOLUTELY NOT what everyone is expecting. When you say that you have an appointment on that day, you’ll expect that there wont be long lines and what not. But lo and behold, you have to wait for FIVE HOURS to finish your passport application!
Please don’t go on media telling everyone that it would only take 30 minutes for you to get your passport because that ONLY APPLIES TO CELEBRITIES AND NOT TO THE MAJORITY.
One more thing about the so called “COURTESY LANE”. It is universally known that courtesy is given to SENIOR CITIZENS, PREGNANT WOMEN, DISABLED AND CHILDREN. My 4yrs old son applied for a passport but he WAS NOT given any courtesy so HE HAD TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER THREE (3) HOURS JUST TO HAVE HIS PICTURE TAKEN compared to those people who were given some courtesy simply because THEY KNOW SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE EMPLOYED AT DFA AND WERE ESCORTED TO THE COURTESY LANE. And the DFA employee wasn’t even patient enough to take a photo of a 4yrs old kid. Whats up with that? The kid waited for that long, you dont expect him to be in a good mood, right?
I’m sure this feedback will not be given any importance and what not but I hope I was able to send the message across.