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How to get a Postal ID (PHLPost) - Regular and Rush

The Improved Postal ID is a plastic card issued by the post office. It proves both who you are and where you live, which is why banks and government offices accept it. It is one of the easiest valid IDs to get in the Philippines.

Postal ID (PHLPost) - Regular and Rush
Official Postal ID campaign material from postalidph.com, the Postal ID website named on the PHLPost application form. Shows a sample Postal ID card and the PHP 550 regular / PHP 650 rush fees.

The three ways to get it

Online

Not on its own

Be clear: the Postal ID is not an online ID. Only the form download and the reading of requirements happen online. The post office has to take your photo, your fingerprints, and your signature at a capture station, so you must go there yourself.

Be careful of websites that offer to 'apply for your Postal ID online' for a fee. PHLPost has no such service.

  1. You can download the official application form online from phlpost.gov.ph/news_and_updates/postal-id-application-form/ and fill it out at home.
  2. You can read the full requirements and the list of capture stations online at www.postalidph.com
  3. Everything after that must be done in person. There is no online application, no online payment, and no online appointment.

Walk-in

Yes

Personal appearance is required. Dress neatly, because your photo is taken there and then.

Important deadline from the official form: if you pay but do not go to the capture station within three (3) months of the payment date, PHLPost has the right not to refund you.

  1. Download and fill out the application form, or get a blank copy at any post office.
  2. Gather your proof of identity and your proof of address, original plus one photocopy each.
  3. Go to any post office. Hand in the form, your documents, and your payment (PHP 550 regular or PHP 650 rush). Keep the receipt.
  4. Once your documents are approved, go to the nearest ID capture station. There are about 273 of them, in selected post offices and in some malls.
  5. At the capture station, your photo, fingerprints, and signature are taken digitally.
  6. Check the details on the operator's screen before you sign. Whatever is on that screen is what gets printed.
  7. Rush: come back to the capture station to pick up your card, same day or in one to two working days. Regular: wait for the card to be delivered to your mailing address.

Representative

Not on its own

This is the strictest of the five IDs on this list. The official terms and conditions on the PHLPost application form say the card is non-transferable and that letting another person use your card can lead to the card being seized and to legal action.

  1. You must apply in person. No representative, no authorisation letter, no Special Power of Attorney will work for the application.
  2. The reason is in the process itself: the capture station has to photograph you, take your fingerprints, and record your signature.
  3. For a Regular application, the finished card is not claimed at all. It is mailed to the address you registered.
  4. For a Rush application, you go back to the same capture station and pick up the card yourself.
  5. For an applicant under 18, a parent or legal guardian must be present with the child. That is accompaniment, not substitution.

What to bring

  • One copy of the filled-out Postal ID application form, in capital letters, in black or blue ink
  • Proof of identity: One primary document. Choose from National ID (PhilID or the printed digital one), PSA or Local Civil Registry birth certificate issued in the last 6 months, GSIS UMID card, SSS UMID card, valid driver's licence, valid passport, or a marriage certificate for married women whose other papers still show the maiden name.
  • If you have no primary document: Two secondary IDs instead, and at least one must show your photo and signature. Accepted ones include a company ID, school or university ID, NBI clearance with photo, PRC ID, voter's ID or voter's certification, Pag-IBIG ID, PhilHealth ID, senior citizen ID, PWD ID, OWWA ID, and a TIN card.
  • Proof of address in your own name: One of a barangay certificate of residency issued in the last 3 months, a notarised land or house lease contract, a land title, a utility bill (electric, water, internet, cable, landline), a bank or credit card statement, a postpaid mobile bill, a school billing statement, a barangay residency ID, a local government or municipal ID, or an insurance policy with policy number
  • Bring the original and one photocopy of every document
  • For a lost card: a notarised affidavit of loss
  • For renewal: your expired Postal ID or a photocopy of it

Fill this in before you go

Straight from the agency. Print it and bring it filled in.

The details

Who can apply

All Filipinos living in the Philippines, and Filipinos living abroad who are in the country at the time they apply. Foreign residents who have been living here for at least six months can also apply.

There is no minimum age, but a child under 18 needs a parent or legal guardian present, and the proof of address may be in the parent's or guardian's name.

Cost

PHP 550.00 for a Regular application and PHP 650.00 for a Rush application. The price is the same anywhere in the country.

Renewal and replacement of a lost or damaged card use the same fees. If you pay but never show up at the capture station within three months, PHLPost may keep your money.

How long it takes

Rush
you go back to the capture station and get the card the same day, or in one to two working days.
Regular
the card is mailed to your address.

How long it lasts

Three (3) years for Filipinos, and for foreign residents holding a Diplomatic Visa, Long Stay Visitor Visa Extension, Temporary Resident Visa, or Special Resident Retiree's Visa. One (1) year for other foreign residents, such as ACR I-Card holders.

Tips

  • The proof of address must be in your own name if you are 18 or older. This is the most common reason applications are turned away. If the bills are under your parents' or landlord's name, get a barangay certificate of residency instead. It must be dated within the last 3 months.
  • Bring the original AND a photocopy of everything. The post office keeps the photocopy and checks it against the original. Photocopy shops near post offices are always crowded.
  • Pay for Rush only if you truly need the card fast. It costs PHP 100 more, and you have to make a second trip to the capture station to pick it up.
  • Read the operator's screen before you sign. A typo in your name or birth date means paying the full fee again for a corrected card.
  • Renewing? Bring the expired card. It is part of the requirements, along with fresh proof of identity and address.

Not verified

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

  • PHLPost does not publish delivery times on its official pages. 2026 guides report about 10 to 15 working days in Metro Manila, about 20 working days in major cities, and 30 to 40 working days in far provinces.
  • PHLPost does not publish a rule for a representative picking up a finished Rush card on your behalf. Assume you must collect it yourself, and ask the capture station if you truly cannot go.

Sources