No Passport Extension Fee for Filipinos Hit by Delays
DUBAI: Filipinos who have been affected by the current passport delays due to printing problems in Manila can extend their passports free of charge if they meet the necessary requirements, according to a media report.
Operational and technical adjustments in the printing of passports in Manila have caused major delays in the printing and shipment of passports to its foreign missions worldwide, including the UAE, reported Gulf News.
The problem started in the beginning of April but was publicised only late in June, the report said.
“The passport extension applies only to those who qualify for the extension such as those who have urgent travel plans and those who are renewing their visas. But this is applicable provided they show proof that they had renewed their passports,” Consul Giovanni Palec was quoted as saying in the report.
Manila’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reportedly affirmed this in an advisory released last week that said the extension will be valid for not less than one year but not more than two years.
DFA was also quoted as saying that consul or embassy officials will prioritise the revalidation or extension requests of applicants whose passport releases are overdue.
For those with newborns who are given a 120-day grace period to get a passport and are affected by the delays, Consul Palec advised them to get a certification from the consulate, said the Dubai-based news portal.
“We issue a certificate regarding the date they applied and when it’s expected to be released. Based on our experience, immigration officials accept this certification and are quite lenient on [humanitarian cases] hence penalties are reduced,” Palec reportedly said.
Palec was quoted as saying that those whose passports are overdue should still continue checking the consulate’s website and Facebook page for the new passport releases. Palec said they received 2,000 new passports from the last shipment from Manila last week.
The consulate receives between 250 and 300 passport applications daily while the embassy processes between 130 and 150, reported Gulf News, adding that the DFA expects the situation to be resolved by mid-August.