Passport appointment system redesigned to make it friendlier

The Department of Foreign Affairs has redesigned its passport appointment website such that applicants can now see, at first glance, which dates have available slots.

The DFA said the redesign of the appointment system is part of its massive effort to facilitate faster processing of passports and make the application system friendlier to citizens.

DFA Consular Affairs Executive Director Angelica Escalona said passport applicants no longer need to click on every date only to find out 60 clicks later that the next available appointment date would be in two months’ time.

“If you will look at our appointment website, the dates in red color are those that are fully booked,” said Escalona. “Those that are green are those that have available slots.”

She said that the appointment system now has a feedback mechanism that ensures that applicants are told if there is a problem with their application, and what they need to do to resolve the problem.

The appointment system also prompts users that if you are a senior citizen, person with disability, pregnant, solo parent, child 7 years old and below, or an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), you do not need to secure an appointment; you can just walk in, present your identification card and use the Courtesy Lane when renewing or applying for passports.

“Before, when you applied for a passport you were told to pick it up on a scheduled date,” Escalona explained. “If for some reason there was a problem with your application, such as discrepancies in the information or documents that you submitted, you wouldn’t know until that day when you are supposed to pick up the passport. There’s no feedback mechanism.”

Under the newly instituted feedback mechanism, the Executive Director said, the applicant is sent an e-mail that gives the relevant feedback. The e-mail is sent within 48 hours from submission of the application.

These new reforms are being undertaken even as a thorough review of the contract entered into by the DFA and state-owned printing firm APO Production Unit on the manufacture of Philippine electronic passports is still being undertaken.