The electronic passport or “e-passport” facilitates faster clearance at airports and borders for Filipino travelers and overseas workers, said Director Sarah Salcedo of the Consular Regional Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs here in Iloilo.
Salcedo said the e-passport has a microchip which is fully inter-operable and can be read by any standard passport machine reader in border controls and bears a Universal e-Passport Logo also used by other countries in the world. It stores the passport?s holder?s personal information and digital photograph for easy verification of identity.
The regional consular office in Iloilo is one of the pioneers in the implementation of e-passport service in the country. It has currently 6 e-passport machines and processes an average of 350 to 400 passports everyday.
Since it started the e-passport service on March 1, 2010, DFA 6 has already issued thousands of e-passports.
Salcedo said a regular passport is processed at P950 and can be claimed after 22 working days.
An expedite or express passport is processed for P1,200 and can be claimed after twelve days. For lost valid passport, there will be an additional P200 charge for replacement.
“Personal appearance at the DFA is required when applying for an e-passport”, stressed Salcedo.
Aside from personal appearance, a first time applicant for Philippine e-passport is required to duly accomplish the application form and must bring documents such as Birth Certificate in Security Paper (SECPA) issued by the National Statistics Office or Certified True Copy of BC issued by the Local Civil Registrar duly authenticated by NSO, Proof of identity/Supporting documents indicating full name, date and place of birth and citizenship and other supporting documents.
The e-Passport is part of the ongoing modernization program to further improve the department?s frontline services which include harnessing new technologies in passport and visa issuances and streamlining procedures in the authentication of documents, said a DFA report.
During the recent 112th founding anniversary of DFA, Secretary Alberto Romulo cited the electronic passports benefiting Filipinos as among the successful foreign policy initiatives and achievements of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“President Arroyo made sure that the global Filipino gets the best in consular services and is allowed to exercise the right to suffrage, thus the electronic passport, the new consular building and the Overseas Absentee Voting law,” said Romulo.
That’s good news at least Filipinos will not be discriminated in airports
dapat matagal na tong naimplement e.