Many of us have always dreamed of traveling abroad. But before you can do that, you will have to secure a passport. I am summarizing the passport application process and enumerating the requirements listed on the DFA website in this post to guide you and help you avoid the hassles of securing a passport that you might encounter along the way.

Schedule an Appointment

The first thing you should do is scheduling an appointment. It is a lot easier to do that now because the Department of Foreign Affairs has set up an online portal for this. You may set an appointment via the DFA Appointment System website.

Now here’s the catch. Because of the volume of applications, the schedule that they might give you is way too far. For example, if you apply online in July, they might give you a slot around August (if you’re lucky) or September.

If you live outside Manila, check if you have a DFA office in your province. I know that you can apply for a passport at DFA Offices in Batangas and Bulacan. And I heard it’s a lot faster in these regional or provincial offices because the volume of applications is not as heavy as in the central DFA office in Manila.

Requirements When Applying for a Passport

After setting an appointment, use the waiting time in preparing the necessary documents. In general, there are only two requirements:

• Birth Certificate (BC) — in Security Paper (SECPA) issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) or Certified True Copy (CTC) of BC issued by the Local Civil Registrar duly authenticated by NSO depending on the NSO signatory. If you still don’t have an NSO birth certificate, you may call the NSO Office at (02) 737-1111.
• Original ID — Senior Citizen’s ID, Voter’s ID, digitized government-issued IDs like SSS, PRC, BIR, Driver’s License, original school ID (for students only) AND original supporting documents indicating full name, date and place of birth and citizenship.

These are the two most important documents you need to secure. You don’t need passport-size photos because a picture of you will be taken when you’re already at DFA.

But just to be on the safe side, you might also want to bring any of the following if available in case of some identity problems.

• Marriage Contract
• Land Title
• Driver’s License
• Government Service Record
• School Form 137 or Transcript of Records with dry seal
• Other documents that show full name and birth details of applicant and/or citizenship
• Voter’s Registration Record from COMELEC Intramuros
• Baptismal Certificate with dry seal
• Seaman’s Book
• Income Tax Return (Old)
• NBI Clearance

There. You don’t need to bring ALL these. One or two will do in case of problems.

Traveling with Minors

But if you’re traveling with minors or children, it’s a lot more complicated. There are additional requirements depending on whom the minor is traveling with.

Traveling with both parents:

• Passport of both parents, original and photocopy.
• Original Birth Certificate from NSO in SECPA
• Personal appearance of minor with either parent.
  – If father will appear with the child, prepare the Marriage Certificate in SECPA.
  – If mother will appear with the child, no need for Marriage Certificate in SECPA.

Traveling with mother only:

• Passport of mother, original and photocopy.
• Original Birth Certificate from NSO in SECPA
• Personal appearance of minor with either parent.
  – If father will appear with the child, prepare the Marriage Certificate in SECPA.
  – If mother will appear with the child, no need for Marriage Certificate in SECPA.

Traveling with father only:

• Passport of father, original and photocopy.
• Marriage Certificate of parents from NSO in SECPA.
• Original Birth Certificate from NSO in SECPA
• Personal appearance of minor with either parent.

Traveling with guardian and either parent is in the Philippines only:

• Passport of guardian, original and photocopy.
• Original Birth Certificate from NSO in SECPA
• Original and photocopy of DSWD Clearance.
• Affidavit of Support and Consent indicating the name and relationship of the guardian. (Must be notarized)
  – Passport or Original ID w/ signature of the parent who executed the affidavit.
  – If the father is the executor, prepare Marriage Certificate in SECPA as well.
• Personal appearance of minor with either parent.
  – Valid ID of the parent accompanying the minor for appearance.
  – If father will appear with the child, prepare the Marriage Certificate in SECPA.
  – If mother will appear with the child, no need for Marriage Certificate in SECPA.

Traveling with guardian and both parents are out of the country:

• Passport of guardian, original and photocopy.
• Original Birth Certificate from NSO in SECPA
• Original and photocopy of DSWD Clearance.
• Affidavit of support and consent indicating the name of the traveling companion and the relationship to the minor (must be authenticated by the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate General).
  – If the father is the executor, prepare Marriage Certificate in SECPA as well.
• Special Power of Attorney designating the representative by name and authorizing him/her to apply for a passport on behalf of the minor in their stead (must be authenticated by the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate General).
• Certified True Copy of parents’ passport (must be authenticated by the nearest Philippine Embassy or Consulate General)
• Original valid ID w/ signature or passport of the authorized representative in the Special Power of Attorney document.
• Personal appearance of minor with the authorized representative in the Special Power of Attorney document.

Complicated? Not really. Don’t be overwhelmed by the bulleted items. They’re easy to prepare.

Once you’re ready with these requirements, all you need to do is wait for the date of appointment and show up at the DFA office. It will run smoothly from there.

You may choose to “rush” the passport for an additional fee.

Posted: 2011 • 4 • 10

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