My passport only expires in 2012 but I’ve already used up all pages except for the last one. I’ve already planned to go to the Philippine Embassy in KL at Jalan Changkat Kia Peng but thought of checking their website first, just in case of any changes in application procedures and requirements. True enough, there was a notice about the introduction of machine-readable passports (MRP).
The first change is quite minor — the passport photo now needs to use royal blue or dark blue as the background, instead of white, and “preferably” should be printed using matte (not glossy) paper. But I warn you: for the Philippine Embassy in KL, they’ve made the “preferably” mandatory and won’t accept any glossy photos. If you’re in KL and need to have your photo taken, go to Fotokem at Ampang Park and they’d know what to do.
The fee for the new 44-page MRP “remains unchanged” at RM192.50. No big news for me. But for Filipinos back home, that’s like robbery in broad daylight. Because RM192.50’s equivalent in Philippine pesos is approximately P2,310. Shocking, huh? The same passport only costs P500 if done in the Philippines. Why should hard-working overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and expats be charged exhorbitantly given that they (we) send back so many millions of pesos in remittances every year?
Anyhow, I scrolled down to read the rest of the information… and got the shock of my life when got to the part that said:-
“Due to the transition phase in the implementation of the new passport system, the processing period for the MRP, which will be done in Manila, will take approximately thirty (30) calendar days.”
Thirty. Calendar. Days. Unbelievable!
So I called up the Embassy (03-21489989) to verify what the website says.
“Totoo po, Ma’am. Minsan nga, hindi lang four weeks. Five weeks. It’s out of our control kasi sa Maynila po ang processing.” (It’s true, Ma’am. Sometimes, it’s not just four weeks. Five weeks. It’s out of our control because the processing is done in Manila.)
Still not totally satisfied, I checked the Department of Foreign Affairs’ official website to find out more information about the MRP if done in the Philippines. Normal processing time is 14 days at P500; expedited processing is 7 days at P750. For applications from KL, expedited processing is not applicable.
Your passport will remain valid while your new one is being processed; once the new passport is ready, only then will they cancel your old passport.
To say that the long wait is inconvenient is grossly understating it. Malaysia also uses machine-readable passports and it only takes an hour to process! I know so first-hand because DH, RoundBoy and I went to Immigration (Malaysia) a few months back to get RoundBoy’s passport renewed. And it took only an hour from the time we handed in the application form until they called my son for this thumbprint until the time they issued his new passport.
[NB: The only difficulty in applying for passports in Malaysia is that the father must be present upon application and every subsequent renewal until the child turns 18. By difficult, I refer to separated couples and for fathers who are always travelling, like my husband!] So if you’re a Filipino and your passport is expiring soon, better renew it early, especially if you’re overseas right now.
Click here to see the Department of Foreign Affairs’ step-by-step instructions on applying for an MRP.
Tags: Philippine passport
January 30th, 2009 at 02:56
mas malala sa paris france, costs us 100euros, or 6200PHP and took three months, and because we are from 900kms away from Paris, we have to take a plane for 100euros roundtrip is we take non peak and take a hotel to stay plus food etc etc.
Feel ko tama yung advice mo, uwi na lang ng pinas, enjoy pa , kung ganun din lang kamahal!
January 30th, 2009 at 05:34
100 Euros!!??!! sobra naman sila :(
January 31st, 2009 at 20:20
Same here. Processing fee is equivalent to more than P2000 to renew our passport. Not only that, there is a “wait-period” of 1 month din.
You can’t blame our “kababayan” abroad if they feel like “milking cows” of our government talaga.
February 1st, 2009 at 06:28
Dito sa gensan, at sa iba pang local areas, it’s 500 pag you can wait for a month, 750 pag express, say 15 days gusto mong dumating na siya.
February 1st, 2009 at 13:37
hi mimi,
thanks for the info. and i am freaking out. kasi visa ko is only until 25th of feb. and i only have 3 more weeks left to renew my passport. do i have a problem coming or what?
is the new machine readable passport a mandatory or optional?
February 1st, 2009 at 15:55
janet: which one’s expiring? your visa or your passport? or both? if your passport is not expiring yet, just renew your visa. when you change your passport, you can go to immigration and ask them to issue new sticker for your new passport. it’s very quick.
all new philippine passports are machine-readable. we don’t have a choice.
and make sure you go to fotokem, ground floor, ampang park, jalan ampang to have your photo taken. it costs RM15 for 4 pcs. dark blue background, matte finish photo paper…and get this — your ears must be visible!
February 1st, 2009 at 16:03
mimi,
my passport’s expiry date is in July pa. However, when i renewed my spouse visa in august last year, they only gave me 6 months visa because they couldn’t give me one year since my passport expires in july. so they advised me to apply for a new passport before 25th of february so when i apply for spouse visa again, they will give me another 6 months. malaysian immigration said they can only give either 6 months or one year visa.
my dilemma is… if i apply for new passport now, i can only get it after 30 days, right? and my visa ends on 25th Feb. i will be overstaying for one week then. not a good sign, yeah?
February 1st, 2009 at 19:37
hmm…that’s a tough one :( maybe you should drop by immigration first thing tomorrow to ask for their advice. unless your file is in KL, which means you’d have to wait til tuesday morning bec tomorrow’s a holiday (due to hari wilayah falling on a sunday). the counters open at 7.30am.
February 1st, 2009 at 20:55
janet, on second thought, i think it’s best for you to apply for a new passport quickly. then, talk to immigration as early as now and tell them about your predicament. maybe (just my thoughts, as i haven’t had a similar experience), just maybe, they’d extend your current visa by another 1 or 2 weeks until you get your new passport. good luck & let me know how it turns out! wag kang mag-overstay. kung naka-6 months visa ka na, it won’t be long now and you’ll be getting the 1-yr visa. pagnakalimang beses ka nang 1-yr visa, pwede ka na mag-apply for PR.
February 1st, 2009 at 23:48
thanks mimi,
i have come up with the best solution. go back to the phils and renew passport there. hehehe. 7 days only.
February 2nd, 2009 at 07:25
When I applied for my dual citizenship at the Philippine Embassy in London in December, they asked me if I wanted my passport done as well. I simply said no. I was going home anyway, and knew that I could get it done sooner and a lot cheaper! So that’s what I did :)
joy
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February 2nd, 2009 at 08:30
janet: good choice :) if you get a cheap fare somewhere, let me know please. i’m still looking for cheap tickets for 2 adults + 5 kids for june to cebu. *sigh* i wish i bought tickets when MAS was having that sale last time…
February 2nd, 2009 at 08:49
Wow, MIMI! You’re going home sa Pinas? Kita tayo? Do drop by Gensan naman! Pasalubong na rin, haha…
February 2nd, 2009 at 08:52
hi joy, thanks for dropping by. since i don’t have plans to go back to the phil yet, i find that it’s still cheaper for me to get it done here in KL this time around. i’ve applied for a PR already but i have no idea how much longer i have to wait. the malaysian government doesn’t give PRs that easily. so that’s all i can do for now: wait :)
February 2nd, 2009 at 22:08
sheng: yup. and i hope to drop by gensan, if time and budget permit it. it’s going to be a tough job, for sure — travelling with 5 kids! :D i’ll let you know kung matuloy.
February 4th, 2009 at 18:06
ate mi, muuli ka?
i-gakos na lang ko ni mommy kung huhapit ka niya. kahilakon na nuon ko. as in, gimingaw ko pag ingon nimo muuli ka. i’m not sure if we can go home late this year or early next year.
i had the new passport too when i renewed it in manila last year, took me around 3 weeks, expedited service na, via courier delivery. it baffles me why the new passport doesn’t bear the signature of the bearer.
February 5th, 2009 at 15:42
odette: i hope i can find reasonably-priced tickets so that the kids can tag along. and i also hope i can make a quick stopover in gensan. i hope you get to see your mommy soon!
February 10th, 2009 at 20:59
pls,help me naman po,ask ko lang if alam nyo ba yung news na need daw na palitan na ang green color passport sa brown,,eh yung sa akin po green pa sa 20012 pa ang expiration,,paano kaya yun?
February 11th, 2009 at 00:34
reiz: if your passport only expires in 2012, i don’t think it’s necessary for you to get it changed yet. my current passport is green and is expiring on 2012 but i need to change it because i’ve run out of empty pages.
May 29th, 2009 at 18:34
it so ironic.
u start to use a more high tech passport
but u have to wait for 1 month
whereas the low tech passport, u have to wait for 2 days.
where is the high tech in that?
im sure the original plan was to install a hundred passport generating machines when it was budgeted.
then somebody wanted a cut
so only 2 machines were actually implemented.
the rest of the nation suffers.
what stupidity is this.
whats more annoying is that the embassy people has accepted this “new process”… as if there is nothing else that we can do..
grrr….
October 7th, 2009 at 17:42
hi. naghahanap po ako ng mga sites or any discussions about if you are currently working here in malaysia, but you are overstayed aldeay, till i came into your site. since matagal na po kayo dito sa malaysia i just gra an opportunity if pwede nyo akong masagot or if meron kayong alam sa ganitong setuation. i am currently working po as graphic artist here in malaysia, my boss applied professional visa for me by the help of my friend agent, but its been 1 year and month na, wala parin. i stayed with my boyfriend, and now i am 3 months pregnant. so i decided not to pursue my visa coz i know i cant gave birth here since we are not yet married. my problem is i dont know what to do or the process na kaylangan kong gawin para wala akong problem sa immigration pag labas ko ng malaysia and pag uwi po sa pinas. sabi ng isang kakilala ko may agent daw na pwede maglakad ng special pass, and ang charge is 1000RM, which sobrang mahal para sa akin kc parang wala nang matitira pa sa akin pag uwi ko ng pinas, tapos i have a 10 year old son sa pinas which is nag aaral pa. so wala po akong masyadong budget and also hindi ako siguro if legal ung papers na gagawin for my exit. Meron po ba kayong alam na way na wala akong maging problema sa immigration, pero di naman ganon ka-costly. im planning to go back pinas this coming december. Maraming salamat po in advance sa tulong nyo. God bless po.
Maria
October 7th, 2009 at 18:10
hi maria, sorry hindi ko rin masyadong kabisado ang system dito.
sinubukan ko ang immigration malaysia website, eto ang link tungkol sa overstaying: http://www.imi.gov.my/images/b.....yed_bi.pdf
sinubukan mo na bang humingi ng payo sa philippine embassy? tawagan mo sila, baka makatulong sila.
January 14th, 2010 at 06:05
hi! i typed my question in the yahoo search box and your site appeared. very interesting and informative. =)
maybe you could give me an idea about this.
i have a renewed ten-year us visa issued last year on my green passport that still bears my maiden name (i wasn’t married yet when i had that passport in may 2006). although this green passport is still valid until 2011, we are advised to apply for a machine readable one because dfa says that most countries will already require it by this year.
now i plan to use my married name when i get my machine readable passport. will this affect the validity of my us visa because the names are no longer the same — maiden name us visa on maiden-named green passport vs married name on machine readable passport?
thanks, i hope mimi or anyone can enlighten me.
January 18th, 2010 at 09:36
@joyce: sorry, i don’t know about that. perhaps u should contact the US Embassy to inquire. Since you didn’t mention yr location, here’s a site with links to all US Embassies around the world: http://www.usembassy.gov/
February 4th, 2010 at 12:25
i still have the old green philippine passport and it expires aprl of 2012..the question is , do i need to renew it now or just wait untill it expires? i have heard that we need to change the old green passport but mine is still valid untill 2012
February 8th, 2010 at 17:47
alexis: i haven’t read anything re: being required to change from green passport to the new MRP. in fact, it’s even possible for brown passport holders (i.e. issued prior to May 1995) to change to the new MRP. anyway, if you want to be sure, i suggest you call DFA at (632) 556-0000.