Getting My Baby's Philippine Passport: So Fast, So Easy!

Thirty minutes. That's all it took from the time we entered the gates of the Department of Foreign Affairs, to the time we exited with our receipt.  A week later, the delivery guy from LBC was at our door, with my baby's passport.  It was a pleasantly uncomplicated process. Efficient, straightforward, convenient, and very baby-friendly.  I give the DFA props for its vastly improved passport application process which took 3 simple steps!  The experience was made even more pleasant by the quality of customer care given by the personnel. As a mother with an active infant, I appreciate how considerate and helpful and attentive the DFA staff were to me. Maraming salamat sa serbisyong may malasakit! 

Step 1: Submission of Documents.

STEP 1: Submission of documents. Applicants with special needs (such as mothers with infants, senior citizens, handicapped, and pregnant women) are directed to take a courtesy lane which has a shorter queue.  I just needed to bring Guijo's official NSO-issued Birth Certificate and a photocopy of my passport. Then I had to fill up a form. These documents were reviewed by an official, and when he saw that everything was in order, he instructed me to go to the cashier. This step took 10 minutes (5 minutes for me to fill up the form, which was a challenge because Guijo kept grabbing my pen). I had to wait 3 minutes for my turn to approach the submission counter; and another 2 minutes to transact at the window.

Step 2: Payment of Processing Fee at the cashier counters.

STEP 2: Payment at the Cashier.  I paid Php 1200 for expedited passport processing.  There were several counters processing payments, and the queue moved quite quickly.  A guard monitored and organized the queues, directing people to switch lanes when necessary to get the line moving more equitably.  The guard, seeing I had a baby, motioned for me to move to a shorter line.  The cashier behind the window made funny faces to distract Guijo while I reached for my wallet to get my cash. I liked the personal touch - from the guard and the cashier. It took all of 5 minutes to get this step done! Then I was handed a number, and I sat down in the waiting area, to wait for our turn to have Guijo's photo taken.

Step 3: Encoding and Picture-taking.

STEP 3: Encoding and Picture-Taking. I was amazed at how many stations there were, with computers and mounted cameras, for encoding personal data and taking of photographs. To be sure, there were many applicants waiting for their turn; but there seemed to be a commensurate number of DFA staff to handle the volume. I liked the set-up.  It was nothing fancy.  There were tables, with computers, then there were standing partitions - usual office paneling - on which were mounted digital cameras.  Then there were some office chairs, but more of monobloc plastic chairs for the passport applicants to sit on. As I said, nothing fancy. We're still a third world country after all. What's important is that the job gets done expediently and in relative comfort - away from the heat and the rain, and without the inconvenience of long queues. The process ran like clockwork. The numbers flew by - "ding", "ding", "ding" went the t.v. monitor on which the counters being freed up were being flashed. It took only 5 minutes of waiting time before it was our turn to find station number 41, which took me a while to find, all the way to the back.  There must have been a hundred stations there - it was a lot! 

The encoding and photo capturing station.

So finally, we found our counter. The officer assisting us expertly handled the situation. He asked me to get Guijo to stand on a chair across the camera. He then started clicking on his stapler to catch Guijo's attention, and as Guijo stared at the clicking stapler, and followed it with his eyes, snap! his picture was taken!  The officer had one hand on the stapler, and another on the mouse to control the camera. He did a little balancing act, leaning across his desk to get the stapler close to the camera so Guijo's face would would face forward.  We got the shot in one try. It was quick and Guijo didn't fuss! It took 5 minutes - and that included the long walk to find the station at the far end of the room. The actual picture taking took no more than a minute.  I was shown all the details that were encoded, and I was asked to verify - to check that the spelling, and birth date, and the photo taken were all fine.  I was done! I could pick up the passport in a week's time, or have it delivered to my house. On my way out of DFA, I passed by the LBC Delivery counter and paid the delivery fee, and scribbled my address on the delivery envelope. This step was done in 2 minutes. Then I took the escalator down, walked out the door, and headed to the gate to meet up with Narra and Yaya Jen and Yaya Vanna who waited for us at McDonald's across the street. I checked my watch. 30 minutes.  That's all it took. 

Passport delivery service by LBC.

A week later, the LBC delivery guy came with Guijo's passport as promised. With its arrival my passport application process could be declared a resounding success at last!  My faith in this country's ability to do things right is strengthened all the more. I am so happy that I did not encounter any fixers, or unnecessary red tape, or other forms of bureaucratic nonsense.  All I encountered were committed and efficient civil servants doing their job right, and with an added friendly touch.    

Guijo, happy to receive his passport (so it seems). 

Some Info:

-Passport applications are handled at the new Office of Consular Affairs of the DFA (DFA-OCA) located along Macapagal, behind S&R and across McDonald's. Parking is available both at S&R and McDonald's.

-Applicants must schedule an appointment by calling 737-1000 to get a date and time slot. Mothers applying for their babies NEED NOT MAKE AN APPOINTMENT. A father or mother (or official guardian) can bring an infant to the DFA-OCA any day and time to access the courtesy lane. Note: if you use the courtesy lane, you pay the special expedited fee of Php 1200 for your passport automatically. The cheaper regular rate of Php 900 is no longer an option available given that you "expedited" the process by taking the courtesy lane.

-www.dfa.gov.ph has relevant info on requirements, and downloadable forms too - I should have filled up my form at home, instead of on site, where Guijo kept pulling my pen.