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DFA to phase out old Passports; switch to e-Passport

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief December 28, 2013 · 1 min read

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The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday announced that they will be phasing out all non-machine readable passports by November 24, 2015.

A passport-holder may not get any extension on their expiry beyond October 31, 2015. As such, the DFA is recommending that old passport-holder get a renewal at least 6 months before the aforementioned date.

There are currently 3 types of Philippine passports — the old Green Passport, the Maroon Passport which is Machine Ready, and the new e-Passport which is Dark Maroon. All passport-holders of the MRRP (green) or MRP (maroon) passports are encouraged to renew them and get the e-Passport instead.

These old passports will no longer be honored after October 2015 based on International Civil Aviation Organization standards.

{Based on TV reports last night by TV5/ABS-CBN}

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Abe Olandres

Editor-in-chief

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and is considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines.

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38 Comments

IWONDER · 11 years ago

question lang po if 2012 passport released is already e-passport? we have plan to travel in 2016 po kasi

Abe Olandres Editor-in-chief · 11 years ago

If it’s the brown one, it is.

francisco moscoso · 12 years ago

nag aply ako ng e passport pero dumating skin e rugular passPORT.OK LANG YUNG..

mhiz · 12 years ago

ang expiration po ng passport ko ay sa january 27, 2015 pa.. maroon passport po issued sakin last 2010, do i need to renew this as this year pra mk alis ako ng bansa?.. di na ba nila honored ung ganitong passport na maroon kung nxt year p nmn ang expiration?

len · 12 years ago

we just renewed our passport last april 2012, e-passport na ba un?

Bonsai11 · 12 years ago

you can check sa passport nyo sa lower part po ng nakasulat na PASAPORTE dapat may makikita kayo na pa sQUARE na style chip.. kung 2012 po kayo nag renew sure yan na E-passport na po na issue sa inyo kasi sa amin ng anak ko e-passport na po nakuha namin ‘to Oct. 2010 pa.. kasi nag start sila na mag issue nito e 2009 pa po.. :)

Lou · 12 years ago

I had my passport renewed last December 6, 2013 had it expedite and paid Php1200. The receipt says that it will be released on December 26, 2013 between 1-4pm. I went to DFA (Marquee Mall) on December 27, 2013, waited for almost 20mins and then the staff called my name I hurriedly proceeded to the counter. He didn’t smile at all and said

“Ma’am di ba kayo nka-recieve ng text mula sa amin? Ngtxt kami na hindi po nasama sa mga batches ng passport na nagawa ung sa inyo”.

And I said

“Wala ako nareceive na text, at kung meron hindi ako pupunta dito. BTW ano pa ang sense na ngbayad ako ng Php1200 kung di ko rin pala makukuha on time ung passport ko?”

He replied

“Di po kasi namin handle ung mga un. Government po kasi kaya di rin namin masabi kung bakit na delay.”

“So, pano yan aalis ako ng Jan 5, pano passport ko?”

Eto nakakabwisit na sagot ng staff ng DFA

“Ang magagawa lang natin jan Ma’am eh mgpa rebook po kayo.”

As in HELLLOOOO!!! Alam ba ng staff na ito ang sinasabi nya?!

Kurakot tlaga!!!

wew · 12 years ago

kung aku ikaw nasapak ko n ung staff.hahaha

Reader · 12 years ago

I LOL at the st*****ty of some people who do not bother to read at all. Philippine e-passports (the one with the microchip) have been issued since mid-2009. If you just recently renewed your passport, chances are, it’s already the electronic one and you don’t need to renew it unless it gets defaced or lost or expires or for whatever reason.

The old green one has never been re-issued recently unless it’s for super, major major emergency na kelangan mong umuwi because someone in your family died, etc. By 2015, your machine-readable passport would have already expired anyway, so you have no choice to get an e-passport if you want a new one.

Yung mga nagrereklamo diyan na money-making scheme na naman to, bahala kayo kung di kayo papasukin sa ibang bansa where e-passports have been the norm for a very long time.

BOTTOMLINE: Basa basa kasi, wag yung comment ng comment na parang t***a lang. Nakakaawa ang pagiging ignorante niyo, seriously.

Reader · 12 years ago

*The old green one has never been re-issued recently unless it’s for super, major major emergency na kelangan mong umuwi because someone in your family died, etc. and you lost your passport abroad or your current one is expiring within the next 6 months or you don’t have proper travel documents.

By 2015, your machine-readable passport (middle passport sample from the image row; issued since 2008; not anymore issued since the e-passport became the norm) would have already expired anyway, so you have no choice to get an e-passport if you want a new one.

abuzalzal · 12 years ago

MGA PUNYETANG mga DFA yan rumaraket na namaaaaan!!!! Aaaaaaaarrrrrgh! Bakit hindi na lang hintayin mag-expire ang mga old passports?!

titi · 12 years ago

titi mo.

wala ka naman passport kung umangal ka akala mo meron.

Jake · 12 years ago

ungas kaba? magbasa ka nga. Since 2009 inissue ng government yung e-passport. so kung 2008 yung last na pag issue ng MRP na passport, malamang mag eexpire na yun this 2014. Mag isip ka nga, walang saysay yung reaction mo.