Overseas Filipino workers and other Filipinos in urgent need of passports do not have to wait long for an appointment, the Department of Foreign Affairs-Office of Consular Affairs said in a news release Tuesday.
Currently, the DFA-OCA appointment system will give traveling Filipinos a September appointment to apply for an electronic passport.
“Returning OFWs and those that are due for overseas deployment can have their passports processed immediately provided that they present documents that show there are jobs waiting for them in their countries of destination,” said the statement of the DFA-OCA.
“Similarly, employment agencies with passport applicants are given special slots for immediate processing and expedited issuance of passports,” it added.
On top of this, the DFA satellite office at the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) in Ortigas will also re-open on June 22 (not June 21 as earlier reported) to cater solely to the needs of OFWs.
The DFA has also increased the number of passport appointments to accommodate more applicants.
“Special passport processing is held every other Saturday, with the view of expanding this service every weekend to accommodate more people with urgent travels. This system will free up more slots on weekdays which is seen to significantly cut down the waiting time for an appointment,” it said.
“To accommodate passport applicants in the provinces, the 19 DFA Regional Consular Offices (RCOs) that are strategically located all over the country are likewise ready to accept more passport applications,” it added.
Travellers with urgent need for a passport are also issued emergency passports that can be processed immediately without passing through the appointment system, with the approval of the Passport Director's Office, with telefax number 836-7759, DFA-OCA chief Assistant Secretary Jaime Victor Ledda told INQUIRER.net
Source: Veronica Uy, Inquirer.net
