INQUIRER.net STOCK IMAGE
MANILA, Philippines — Making passports valid for a lifetime does not follow international standards and may only bring more issues than benefits to Filipinos, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.
During the hearing of the Senate committee on foreign relations on the proposed lifetime passports for senior citizens, DFA Office of Consular Affairs Executive Director Maria Alnee Gamble said one of the issues against lifetime passports is changes in the physical appearance of the holder.
“The DFA would like to reiterate our position that the grant of a lifetime validity for passports is not in keeping with the standards and recommended practices of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization),” Gamble said.
“The standard and recommended practice are that passports should be valid for no more than ten years in keeping with the possible changes in the physical appearance of the person,” she added.
Some border control officers may not allow the entry of travelers due to the difference in the picture printed on the passport and the actual appearance of the holder.
“As we have pointed out, it will be doing against the standards and recommended practices so they will not be accepted if they have a travel document that does not follow the specifications,” Gamble said.
“Instead of benefitting our senior citizens, they may end up waiting far longer at the border gates or entry points of foreign countries,” she added.
Under Senate Bill No. 1197 filed by Senator Lito Lapid, new or renewed passports of Filipinos aged 60 years and above “shall have lifetime validity.”
“Through this lifetime validity, our senior citizens are spared from the rigorous process and long lines often associated with passport application and renewal. This is also beneficial to senior citizens who live far away from city centers where DFA Consular Offices are usually situated,” Lapid said in the measure.
READ: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1195462/lapid-bill-seeks-lifetime-validity-of-passports-for-elderly