The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is opening passport appointment slots for July to September on Wednesday, May 2.
Filipinos may book an appointment for new passport applications or for renewal of expired passports at any consular office nationwide, except at DFA Aseana in Parañaque City, which is currently testing the new ePayment system.
Once the system is finalized, the ePayment system will not only be fully implemented at DFA Aseana but in all consular offices nationwide, according to the DFA.
With the ePayment system in place, applicants may pay the passport fees online or through payment centers and skip the queue at the cashiers at consular offices.
The DFA said the show up rate or the number of people coming in for their appointment rose to 95% due to the ePayment system. This minimizes the number of wasted slots due to non-appearance. The processing time for passport also decreased.
The department reiterated its earlier announcement that Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), senior citizens, persons with disability, solo parents, minors 7 years old and below, and those with emergency and urgent travels don’t need to secure an online appointment. /ee