The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) clarified that Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), persons with disabilities (PWDs) and Senior Citizens do not need to schedule an appointment for their passport application.
“OFWs do not need to set an appointment,” says DFA Assistant Secretary Frank Cimafranca of the Office of Consular Affairs.
According to Cimafranca, as long as the applicant brings all the necessary documents for passport application, he or she may go straight to DFA Aseana or regional consular satellite offices and queue in as a walk-in to the priority lane.
Aside from Overseas Filipino workers, the following people can also be accommodated by the priority lane;
1. Senior citizens with senior citizen ID
2. Person with disability with PWD ID or visible disability
3. Solo Parent with valid Solo Parent ID
4. Pregnant women with medical certificate
5. Minors seven years old and below
“They can just come to any of our office, walk-in and apply,” adds Cimafranca.
Cimafranca says this notice is also posted on their official website.The Assistant Secretary also shares that the agency is finding ways to make it easier for those prospective OFWs to secure a passport.
“We are also trying to accommodate them by creating a portal. This portal can be used by a recruitment agency. They will have to go through a special portal to make it faster for them,” he says.
Meanwhile, DFA will put up nine more consular offices nationwide to speed up the passport application process. The move is expected to increase the number of applicants accommodated by the agency from 9,000 to 15,000.
DFA plans to set up the new consular offices in the following areas;
1. San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte
2. Santiago, Isabela
3. Malolos or Meycauayan, Bulacan
4. Calamba or San Pablo, Laguna
5. Dasmariñas City, Cavite
6. Antipolo, Rizal
7. Oroquieta City or Ozamiz City
8. Misamis Occidental
9. Tagum, Davao del Norte.
Four trucks for mobile passport processing or passport on wheels will also be made available to process 2,500 more passports each day.
Source: ABS-CBN News
