GENERAL INFORMATION

1. The Philippine Passport is at all times the property of the Republic of the Philippines. It must be surrendered upon demand by an authorized representative of the Philippine Government.
2. Alteration, addition, or destruction of contents is strictly prohibited. Any unauthorized change will render a passport invalid and will have accompanying penalties.
3. Using the passport as collateral is against the law and will automatically render the passport cancelled.
4. The information provided in the passport application form must be true and correct. The documents that will be submitted should be complete and authentic. Under the law, making false statements in the passport application form, furnishing falsified or forged documents in support thereof are punishable by law.

BEFORE APPLYING FOR A PHILIPPINE PASSPORT:

1. All applicants should secure an online appointment when applying for a passport;
2. The public is advised to secure their passports prior to booking their flights. Flight bookings should ONLY be made if passports are still valid for at least six (6) months;
3. Confirmed appointment is required for all applicants except for those who would qualify for the courtesy lane;
4. Applicants are reminded to be on site not earlier than 30 minutes on their selected date and time of appointment at their chosen consular office;
5. Personal appearance is required for all applicants;
6. Please be warned that dealing with fixers is at your own risk and expense;
7. Prepare all the originals and photocopies of the documentary requirements for passport application.
8. Jewelries such as earrings and necklaces and colored contact lenses are not allowed during photo capturing;
9. The DFA adheres to “No Escort” policy; escorts shall be prohibited from entering the DFA consular premises to accompany the applicants.

GENERAL INFORMATION

      “Authentication” is a generic term that commonly refers to the process of verifying the origin of a public document by certifying the authenticity of the signature and legal authority of the public official who signed it. It does not, however, certify the content of the public document to which it relates.

      On 14 May 2019, the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (Apostille Convention) entered into force for the Philippines.

      Thenceforth, an Apostille is attached, as proof of authentication, to the underlying Philippine public document that will be used abroad. After authentication by the DFA, there is no more need for legalization by the concerned Foreign Embassy / Consulate if the country of destination of the authenticated document is also a State Party to the Apostille Convention (except for Austria, Finland, Germany and Greece as they have objected to the Philippines’ accession).

      However, if the country of destination of the document is NOT a State Party to the Convention, or if the document will be submitted in Austria, Finland, Germany, or Greece, legalization by the concerned Foreign Embassy / Consulate is still required.