DFA opens 100K passport appointment slots


  • Written by Cristina Lee-Pisco
  • Published in Nation
  • Read: 162
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) yesterday opened 100,000 slots for passport applicants.
This was announced by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano during the launch of the DFA ePayment Portal, an upgrade to the online appointment system that enables passport applicants to pay passport fees through selected payment centers nationwide. Eventually, applicants can also pay through credit and debit cards or over the counter cash transactions in selected banks.
The 100,000 slots is apart from the daily 10,000 slots that are being made available everyday from Mondays to Saturdays except holidays.
The ePayment portal will help increase the DFA’s capacity to receive and process passport applications, the DFA said.
Cayetano noted under the old system, only 60 to 65 percent of daily applicants appear on their appointment date.
With the ePayment, he stressed they expect that no shows will be reduced if not totally eliminated.
Cayetano said “by prepaying, applicants are encouraged to show up lest they forfeit their passport processing fees.”
In addition, ePayments will also stop fixers and scammers from their illegal activities because applicants will be asked to pay even before they appear at the consular office.
The DFA has started issuing passports with 10-year validity last January.

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