Travel agents get extension for passporting services

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has allowed travel agencies to continue offering passport processing services to applicants until June, extending their accreditation that was supposed to have expired on Jan. 1.

In a statement over the weekend, the DFA said travel agencies may continue to offer passport services until June 20 of this year after Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario heeded the appeal of the travel firms for an extension.

“Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario considered extending the accreditation of travel agencies for passporting services following a dialogue on Nov. 22 between the DFA and three major associations of travel agencies in the Philippines,” the DFA said.

Organizations, including the Philippine Travel Agencies Association, the Philippine IATA Travel Agencies and the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies, had “raised concerns about new DFA-issued consular guidelines, including the discontinuation of accreditation of travel agencies for passporting services by Jan. 1, 2013,” the DFA said.

The DFA issued a directive in May last year giving travel agencies only until the end of 2012 to make a business out of passport applications, a function that the DFA already carries out through consular offices in regional offices and malls across the country.

Equal opportunity, treatment

The directive was aimed at giving passport applicants equal opportunity and treatment in applying, the DFA said last year.

It said applicants assisted by travel agencies paid between P1,800 to P7,000 for passport processing while the foreign office only charged P950 for regular processing (15 days) and P1,200 for expedited processing (seven days).

“The extension gives the travel agencies more time to adjust to the new rules,” the DFA said.

The foreign office added that it has been bringing consular services closer to the public through mall-based centers across the country. Regional Consular Offices (RCOs) are set to be transferred to malls in Iloilo, Bacolod, Legazpi and Puerto Princesa cities early this year, the DFA said.

The DFA also announced that its mall-based regional and satellite offices will be closed for passport releasing and applications on Sundays due to “low client turnout.”

Affected offices include DFA NCR-East (SM Megamall), DFA NCR-Central (Robinson’s Galleria), DFA NCR-West (SM City Manila) and RCOs in Baguio City, Angeles City, Lipa City, Cebu, General Santos and Davao cities.

Operations will continue during mall hours from Monday to Saturday.