With the e-passport Davao passport production increased!

Following La Union, Clark and Cebu the City of Davao ranks next on the highest number of passport production since the start of implementation of electronic passport processing.

Regional Consular officer in charge Linda Albay bared this figure showing the growing number of passport applicants not just attributed to overseas workers but also the growing number of foreign travelers.

The Regional Consular Office here in Davao City before could only accommodate 200 applications per day, but now they jumped their quota to 400 per day.

The Davao office started e-passport processing last March 2010 following Manila and major cities in the country to lessen the hassle experienced by applicants.

With the electronic system, an applicant will have to call or visit the office to set an appointment. The Davao office is only allowed to accommodate until three weeks since the time the appointment was made.

The applicant will be asked to visit the office 2 to 3 weeks as the latest for the actual processing. Normal processing usually takes 23 working days with a cost of P950 while the express processing which is done in 13 working days costs P1,200.

During the actual processing, one is advised to bring all the documents required – both the original and photocopy. Papers required include NSO-authenticated birth certificate, at least three supporting documents, and the filled-up passport application form.

The Consular officer clarified that the old passport is still recognized in some Asian countries, however, for those who wish to apply for visa to United States and Europe they might as well apply for the machine-readable passport.

Aside from Davao, there are five other consular offices in Mindanao: Zamboanga, Cagayan, Butuan, General Santos, and Cotabato City.

However, the consular office has already removed jurisdiction in passport application. One who comes from Mindanao may actually apply for e-passport in Manila or in any other consular office.