Duterte signs into law extension of passport validity to 10 years

Published: 4:35 p.m., Aug. 2, 2017 | Updated: 12:12 a.m., Aug. 3, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday signed into law the measure that extends the validity of Philippine passports from five to 10 years, except for those of minors which would only have a five-year validity.

Republic Act No. 10928, dated Aug. 2, nevertheless allows the issuing authority to limit the validity of passports to less than 10 years “whenever in the national economic interest or political stability of the country” makes it necessary.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has been tasked to come up with the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) to implement the new passport validity.

The new law takes effect 15 days after publication in the Official Gazette or in a national newspaper of general circulation.

The extension of the passport validity is expected to make traveling abroad easier and to lessen the burden of citizens, who would no longer need to keep on renewing their passports every five years.

It is also expected to ease the workload of the DFA, which issues the passports. IDL/atm