Overseas passport applications for 10-year validity surge

Philippine embassies and consulates abroad have reported a surge in the number of applicants for new passports valid for 10 years on its first day of implementation last week.

On the first working day this year, the Philippine embassy in Madrid generated 67 passport applicants for the 10-year passport. Officials said the number of applications is the highest in the embassy’s recent history for a given day.

The consular section worked overtime on Jan. 3 to attend to the expected surge in the number of passport applicants, most of whom waited since August last year when the law extending the passport validity period was signed by President Duterte.

Many postponed their passport renewal last year after learning of the change in the passport validity period.

Embassy employee Florencio Aliganga was the first to apply for the 10-year passport.

“I want to be a part of the 10-year validity passport’s history,” Aliganga said.

Marichu Mauro, Philippine consul general for Milan, said the highly anticipated change in the passport validity is good news for members of the Filipino community as throngs of applicants went to the consulate to file their applications.

A Filipina based in Como City in Italy became the consulate’s first applicant. She welcomed the extension of the validity, noting that it benefits overseas Filipinos who no longer have to renew passports every five years.

Passports with 10-year and five-year validity will use the current Philippine electronic passport booklets without any change in design, security features and number of pages. There are also no changes in passport application fees.

Those issued prior to Jan. 1, 2018 shall remain valid until expiration date.