How to get a Senior Citizen ID (OSCA ID)

A card that proves you are 60 years old or older. It gives you a 20% discount and no VAT on medicine, food in restaurants, buses, jeepneys, trains, planes, boats, hotels, movies, and funeral services. It is also your pass for other senior perks like free flu and pneumonia shots in public health centers.

The three ways to get it

Online

Partly

Two different things.

The digital National Senior Citizens ID inside eGovPH went live on 15 August 2025. In May 2026 the NCSC told banks, drugstores, restaurants, transport firms, and government offices to accept it as valid proof of identity, including for opening bank accounts and loans
The plastic OSCA card is still issued by your LGU and is still valid. Both work, and you can use whichever is easier. Not all LGUs have an online form for the plastic card. Some cashiers still ask for the plastic card out of habit, so it is safer to have both

There is no single national website for the plastic OSCA card. Check your own city or municipality website first, because this changes per LGU.
Example: in Quezon City go to qceservices.quezoncity.gov.ph, make an account, pick QC ID e-Application, fill in your details, upload your papers, and wait for the approval email. The card is mailed to your address or you pick it up at OSCA.
For the digital Senior Citizen ID: download the eGovPH app, make an account, and verify it with your PhilSys National ID.
If you are 60 or older and already have a National ID plus an eGovPH account, the digital National Senior Citizens ID turns on by itself inside the app.
Open the app, go to Digital ID, and show the Senior Citizen ID on your phone screen when you claim a discount.

Walk-in

Yes

Walk-in is still the normal way in most towns. Go early in the morning.

Some OSCA offices only accept new applications on certain days of the week, so call first if you can. You will usually also be listed in the barangay senior citizens association at the same time.

Go to your barangay hall first and ask for a certificate of residency. Many OSCA offices will not start without it.
Bring your PSA birth certificate, one valid ID, photos, and photocopies of everything.
Go to the OSCA office. It is usually inside the city hall or municipal hall.
Ask for the senior citizen application form and fill it up.
Give the form and your papers to the OSCA staff. They will check your age and address.
They will take your photo and your signature, or ask for your 1x1 photos.
Wait for the release date they give you. Come back and claim the ID, the purchase booklet, and the handout about your benefits.
Sign the OSCA logbook when you claim the card.

Representative

Yes

This works well in practice and is common for bedridden seniors. Quezon City states it plainly: a representative needs an authorization letter signed by the applicant plus the representative's valid ID. RA 9994 also says the senior citizen 'or his or her duly authorized representative' may present the ID to claim discounts, so a family member can buy your medicine with your card.

Some OSCA offices still want a thumb mark or signature from the senior on the form, so bring the form home first if needed. A notarized Special Power of Attorney is not usually required for a first-time ID, but a few LGUs ask for one, so call ahead.

Write a simple authorization letter. Put the senior's full name and address, the representative's full name, what the representative is allowed to do (file the application, claim the ID, or both), the date, and the senior's signature or thumb mark.
The representative brings that letter, one valid ID of the senior, and one valid ID of the representative.
Bring all the normal papers too: birth certificate, barangay certificate, photos.
If the senior is bedridden or very sick, ask the barangay for a certification that says so. Many OSCA offices accept this in place of the senior appearing in person, and some will even do a home visit to take the photo and signature.
The representative signs the release logbook when claiming the card.

What to bring

Filled-up OSCA / senior citizen application form (free at the OSCA office or your LGU website)
PSA birth certificate. If you have none, any paper that shows your birth date works in most LGUs: old passport, marriage certificate, voter's record, baptismal certificate
One valid ID that shows your birth date and address, with a photocopy
Barangay certificate of residency (many OSCA offices ask for this first)
One or two recent photos, usually 1x1 or 2x2. Some LGUs take your photo at the office instead
Marriage certificate if your last name is different from the one on your birth certificate

The details

Who can apply

Any Filipino who is already 60 years old or older and lives in the city or town where you apply. You cannot apply before your 60th birthday.

Filipinos with dual citizenship who live here may also apply. Many OSCA offices ask that you have lived in the barangay for at least 6 months, but this rule changes per LGU.

Cost

Free. RA 9994 and its rules say OSCA must give the ID card and the purchase booklet free of charge.

No LGU may charge you for the first card.

How long it takes

Many OSCA offices print it the same day or within 1 to 5 working days. Quezon City says online applications take about 5 days on average.

Some small towns take 1 to 2 weeks when card supplies run low. Ask the OSCA staff for the exact release date.

How long it lasts

The law does not put an expiry date on it. In most cities and towns the OSCA ID is for life.

You only get a new one if you lose it, if it is damaged, or if you move to another city or town. That new city has its own OSCA and will issue its own card.

The digital Senior Citizen ID in the eGovPH app does not expire either.

Tips

Apply on or after your 60th birthday, not before. OSCA will turn you away if you are still 59.
Get both the plastic OSCA card and the digital ID in eGovPH. Some cashiers only know the plastic card, and some government offices now prefer the digital one.
Do not throw away the purchase booklet. Drugstores still write your medicine purchases in it. DSWD has backed a plan to scrap the booklet, but as of 2026 it is still being issued and still asked for.
If you move to another city or town, get a new OSCA ID there. Your old card is tied to the LGU that issued it, and the new LGU will not pay for your local perks otherwise.
Since 16 July 2025 seniors get 50% off on LRT-1, LRT-2, and MRT-3 fares, not just 20%. Show your senior ID at the counter or use a registered white Beep card.

Not verified

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

replacement fee for a lost card. No national rule sets one, so each LGU decides. Some ask nothing, some ask a small amount.