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How to get a Philippine Passport (ePassport)

The travel document you need to leave the Philippines and enter other countries. It is also one of the strongest IDs you can show inside the country. The passport belongs to the government, not to you, so you must give it back if the government asks for it.

Philippine Passport (ePassport)
Cover of the regular Philippine passport. Wikimedia Commons, public domain (work of the Philippine government). The DFA site does not publish a downloadable passport image.

The three ways to get it

Online

Partly

Only the appointment and the payment are online. You still have to show up in person for your photo, fingerprints, and signature.

If you do not get a confirmation email within 24 hours after paying, call (02) 8234-3488.

  1. Go to passport.gov.ph/. This is the only real booking site. Booking is free.
  2. Use a working email address. The system sends everything there.
  3. New appointment slots open at 12:00 noon and 9:00 PM, Monday to Saturday, except holidays. You can book a group of 2 to 5 people together.
  4. Pick your consular office, date, and time. Choose Regular (PHP 950) or Expedited (PHP 1,200).
  5. Pay within 24 hours at any authorized payment center, using your reference number. If you do not pay, your slot is cancelled.
  6. You will get a confirmation email with a PDF appointment packet. Print it on A4 paper.
  7. Go to the office in person on your date. Bring the printed packet and all your documents.

Walk-in

Partly

If you do not qualify for the Courtesy Lane, you cannot walk in. You need an appointment.

DFA also has a 'No Escort' policy, so companions who are not applying cannot go inside with you.

  1. Walk-in without an appointment is allowed only through the Courtesy Lane (also called the Special Lane), which runs Monday to Thursday during office hours.
  2. You can use it if you are a senior citizen, a person with disability, pregnant, a minor 7 years old and below, a solo parent, an overseas Filipino worker or a Filipino living abroad, or you have a real emergency such as a medical or death case in the family.
  3. Bring proof that you qualify. For example a Senior Citizen ID, PWD ID, Solo Parent ID, ultrasound or prenatal record, employment contract, OEC, OWWA E-Card, or a residence card from another country.
  4. One adult companion may come with a senior citizen, a PWD, or a young child, and can also use the lane. Family members must show PSA papers that prove the relationship.
  5. Bring all the normal passport requirements.
  6. Note on fees: senior citizens and PWDs may choose Regular or Expedited. Everyone else in the Special Lane, including companions, must pay the Expedited fee of PHP 1,200.

Representative

Partly

Passports not claimed within 1 year are cancelled, under Department Order No. 2021-012. If you chose courier delivery instead, contact the courier company directly.

  1. Applying: nobody can apply for you. You must appear in person for your photo, fingerprints, and signature. There is no exception.
  2. Claiming: someone else CAN pick up your finished passport for you.
  3. If the person is an immediate family member of legal age (parent, brother, sister, spouse, or child): they bring an Authorization Letter that clearly states how they are related to you, the original DFA receipt, and the original plus a photocopy of a valid government ID for both of you. Your old passport too, if this was a renewal.
  4. If the person is not an immediate family member: they need an original notarized Special Power of Attorney (SPA) that you signed, naming them. Plus the original DFA receipt, and the original and photocopy of a valid government ID for both of you. Your old passport too, if this was a renewal.
  5. For a minor's passport: if the mother claims it, she brings the original DFA receipt and her valid ID. If the father claims it, he brings the original DFA receipt, his valid ID, AND PSA documents proving he is the parent.
  6. If the DFA receipt was lost, the claimer must bring an original notarized Affidavit of Lost Receipt that YOU signed.

What to bring

  • Confirmed online appointment printed on A4 paper (not needed if you qualify for the Courtesy or Special Lane)
  • You must come in person
  • Filled up application form
  • Original AND photocopy of your PSA birth certificate on security paper
  • Any acceptable government ID with one photocopy (check the DFA list of acceptable IDs first)
  • Married women who want to use their husband's last name: original and photocopy of the PSA marriage certificate or Report of Marriage
  • For renewal: your old passport, plus a photocopy of the data page
  • If your birth certificate was registered late, or has missing or wrong details, or your first name is written as Baby Boy or Baby Girl: bring a PSA-annotated birth certificate, or one extra primary government ID, or any two of these - NBI Clearance (even expired), Form 137-A, Transcript of Records, Diploma, Service Record if you are a government employee, PhilHealth Member Data Record
  • If your PSA copy is hard to read: get a Local Civil Registrar copy
  • For a lost passport: police report in English plus a notarized Affidavit of Loss
  • For a damaged passport: notarized Affidavit of Mutilation

The details

Who can apply

Any Filipino citizen. Adults are 18 years old and above.

Minors are 17 years old and below and need a parent or legal guardian with them. Everyone must come in person, even babies.

Cost

Regular processing
PHP 950.00.
Expedited (rush) processing
PHP 1,200.00.
Penalty if your ePassport was lost or damaged
PHP 350.00.

Booking the appointment itself is free.

Home delivery by courier is optional and costs extra, paid to the courier.

How long it takes

Regular
about 10 working days in Metro Manila, about 12 working days outside Metro Manila.
Expedited
about 5 working days in Metro Manila, about 7 working days outside Metro Manila.
At Philippine embassies and consulates abroad
about 4 to 6 weeks.

These times do not include courier delivery.

How long it lasts

10 years if you were 18 years old or older when you applied. 5 years if you were under 18 when you applied. Note: most countries will not let you in unless your passport is still valid for at least 6 more months.

Tips

  • Book only at passport.gov.ph/. Fixers and 'appointment assistance' services are illegal. Appointments made outside that site are not real, and people who use them can be barred from applying.
  • Do not book your flight until you already hold a passport with at least 6 months left. Passports get delayed.
  • Check every letter of your name, sex, and birth date before you leave the office. If there is a mistake and you leave, you have to apply again and pay PHP 950 again.
  • Do not staple anything to your passport, especially the covers. It can break the electronic chip and make the passport unreadable.
  • You can renew even if your passport is still valid for more than a year. Renew within 1 year of the expiry date so you are never caught short.

Not verified

The research could not confirm these against an official 2026 source. Phone the office before you travel.

  • payment centers commonly add a convenience fee of about PHP 50, but this is charged by the payment center and is not listed on the DFA fee page.

Sources