Bill seeking to extend passport life to 10 yrs OK’d on 3rd reading

The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill seeking to extend the validity of the Philippine passports to 10 years for adults and five years for minors.

The lower chamber on Monday – in a vote of 216 – approved House Bill 4767 extending the validity of the Philippine passports amending for this purpose Republic Act 8239 or the Philippine Passport Act.

There were zero abstention and zero vote against the bill.

READ: House panel to approve 10-year passport validity bill soon 

The bill seeks to prolong the validity of passports to five years for minors aged zero to 17 years old; and to 10 years for passports of adults aged 18 years old and above.

The bills amends Section 10 of the passport law which states that “Regular passports issued under this Act shall be valid for a period of five (5) years for minors, ages zero to seventeen (0-17) years old and ten (10) years for adults eighteen (18) years old and above.”

The law refers to passport as “a document issued by the Philippine government to its citizens and requesting other governments to allow its citizens to pass safely and freely, and in case of need to give him/her all lawful aid and protection.”

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