Great news for Filipinos! The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced the release of 100,000 slots for a Philippine passport appointment. 50,000 slots opened today, 14 June, at 12pm. Later at 9pm, 50,000 more slots will also be available for scheduling.
Consider booking a DFA online appointment in branches outside Metro Manila. Since majority of. In compliance with the National Telecommunications Commission's directive, the Department of Foreign Affairs trunkline numbers will be changed to an 8-digit phone number beginning October 6, 2019. Our new contact numbers will be as follows: DFA Home Office Trunkline: 8-834-4000 and OCA Aseana Trunkline: 8-651-9400. When and where are passport online appointment slots available? “Beginning 2 May 2018, and every day thereafter, the Department of Foreign Affairs will open passport online appointment slots for July to September 2018 for Consular Offices in the Philippines with the exception of DFA Aseana in Paranaque City,” said the advisory. DFA Opens Thousands of Appointment Slots for Passport Application and Renewal. 24 August 2017 — Thousands of appointment slots are now available to those who wish to apply for and renew their passports, after the Department of Foreign Affairs implemented sweeping reforms.
Also read: Great Things that Happened to the Philippine Passport in 2017- 2018
Passport issues
A lot of Filipinos raised concern regarding the online appointment for passport application and renewal because available schedules sometimes go as far as two months away. This situation forces some individuals, who urgently need to renew their passports, to resort to agencies to get an appointment with the DFA. As a result, Filipinos have to pay an additional charge to secure their passports on time.
Also read: A Guide to Renewing Your Philippine Passport
No appointment required
We are hopeful that this will aid the high demand for Philippine passport appointments in the country. Right now, only the following people are not required to secure an appointment before going to the DFA:
1. Senior citizen and one travel companion
2. Person with disability (PWD) and one travel companion
3. Solo Parent and his/her minor children
4. Pregnant women
5. Seven-year-olds and his/her parents and minor-aged siblings
6. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) (land-based or seafarers)
The Department of Foreign Affairs advises Filipinos to refresh their website now and then. According to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, they will also open 10,000 slots every Monday to Saturday except holidays after this. 5,000 will open at 12pm while 5,000 slots will be available at 9pm as well.
Also read: Philippine Passport Stronger in the New Passport Index
Do you have plans to get a passport later this year? Good news: Slots are now open for passport applicants! Bad news: They are going FAST.
According to a public advisory released by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on May 1, Filipinos on can book an appointment at one of the DFA consular offices in the Philippines between July and September 2018.
The agency initially announced (April 27) that online passport appointments would only be available up to June 30. This was to give the agency time to test and implement the ePayment system. The DFA has since retracted that statement.
When and where are passport online appointment slots available?
“Beginning 2 May 2018, and every day thereafter, the Department of Foreign Affairs will open passport online appointment slots for July to September 2018 for Consular Offices in the Philippines with the exception of DFA Aseana in Paranaque City,” said the advisory.
The Aseana consular office of the agency will not be included in the open slots for July to September because of the final stages of the ePayment scheme. According to the DFA, the DFA Aseana pilot for the advance payment system is about to wrap up, with positive results yielded.
(Read: DFA Appointment: Your Definitive Guide To Philippine Passport Application)
“The pilot tests have shown promising results. Show-up rates have risen to 95 percent and above, minimizing the number of slots wasted through non-appearance. There are no bogus appointments as applicants now have to pay before an appointment is confirmed. The time applicants spend at DFA has been reduced considerably, with ePayment decreasing the usual processing time,” said the statement.
Dfa Slots Available Online
Who are exempted from online appointments?
While everyone has to go through the same application process, the following groups can apply or renew their passports without an online appointment:
- Senior citizens
- Persons with disability
- Solo parents
- Minors aged seven years old and below
- People with “emergency and urgent travels”
These people can go to any DFA passport application office nationwide including the DFA Aseana office.
Fast Personal Loan approval
Increase your chances with 20+ banks and lenders
Dfa Available Slots For July 2019
As low as 1.3% monthly interestApply Now“The DFA seeks the public’s understanding and cooperation as we continue to implement measures to improve our passporting services and increase our capacity to serve applicants,” the agency said.
Netizens complain about unavailable slots
Hours after the DFA declared new slots open, people rushed to the website to book their appointment. However, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that there were zero available online passport appointments on the website.
“INQUIRER.net checked passport.gov.ph, the passport application portal of the DFA, shortly after midnight on May 2, but there were no available slots,” according to the Inquirer article.
(Read: DFA Passport Renewal Requirements And Other Things You Need To Know)
Many disappointed people left comments on the DFA Facebook page regarding the error message they received and the inexistence of the slots for July to September.
The announcement was pinned on the agency’s Facebook post and garnered more than 6,000 comments from disgruntled applicants. We fetched some comments from the thread:
Is there hope still?
The last time we checked, the passport appointment website was working and appointment slots were available but going fast. Especially the ones in Metro Manila.
If you’re looking to book an appointment, you have to book your schedule as soon as possible. Also, if you don’t mind traveling outside Metro Manila, check the other areas.
When we checked at 6:22 p.m. on May 2, there were remaining slots are the Legazpi, Megamall, Cotabato, General Santos, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, and Tacloban passport centers
Sources: Department of Foreign Affairs, Passport.gov.ph, The Philippine Daily Inquirer
Fast Personal Loan approval
Increase your chances with 20+ banks and lenders
As low as 1.3% monthly interestApply Now