Getting a passport has always been a challenge for Filipinos. Abi’s passport was expiring soon and she needed to renew it to reflect her married name. Fortunately, she can “ride along” when we apply for our baby’s.
Documents to bring:
- Accomplished application form
- Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Birth Certificate
- Parents’ Marriage Certificate
- Accompanying parent’s Government Issued I.D.
Fee
Regular rate: PhP 950.00
Express processing: PhP 1,200.00.
Delivery charge: PhP 150.00 (optional)
What to wear
Applicants must come in decent clothing, no accessories, and minimal make up. As for babies, they didn’t mention any specific dress code but Atticus wore a navy blue long sleeved onesie.
What time should we be there?
The office opens at 8:00 am. Priority applicants can come on first come, first served basis. The earlier, the better.
Document copies
Following the list on DFA’s website, we brought only 1 copy per document so we had to get a few more at the photocopying section (conveniently located near the entrance). And as for Abi’s case, she needed to present other I.D.s with her married name and new signature (if available).
Tip: Bring 2 photocopies of each document for a smoother transaction.
Confusing directions
We arrived at Robinsons Galleria at 9:45 am. However, we were not allowed to go through and was instructed to walk towards the EDSA entrance instead. We had some trouble finding the landmarks they mentioned and was stunned to come to a crowded line by the parking lot. We later found out it was for PRC and had to ask for more directions to get to the DFA office.
We have no problem with walking except we had Atticus with us and there was much baby gear to carry.
Tip: Get off at the EDSA entrance.
Processing
At the gate, we handed our documents to the officers who knew the requirements by heart and checked them. Since Abi was riding on our baby’s priority slot, it’s her papers we submitted for parent documents.
After that, we were instructed to line up for 4 counters where our application was encoded, paid for, and checked before they photo capture.
On the first 2 counters, they asked where Atticus was (we were seated quite far for the staff to see) so Abi decided to carry Atticus for the rest of the counters for less explanations. Plus, our little chatterbox charmed the staff, which we believe was a big factor to our pleasant experience.
Photo Capture
Second to the last step was to capture the photo. The officer took our baby’s photo like a pro. He knew very well how to get his attention by making sounds with his empty stapler then directed it towards the lens. We had to retake his photo thrice because he was drooling so much (his upper teeth were about to come out), but they were all very patient.
Courier
After this was the courier station. You can always opt to pick up your passport for no added cost, but since DFA was a 2-hour commute from home, we’d rather have it delivered to us. Their partner is LBC. We just presented our passport receipt, filled up the waybill, paid PhP 150.00 per passport delivery and we were done.
On our way out, the guard asked if we had success in securing our baby’s passport. He mentioned that sometimes nothing works–just like the applicant yesterday who didn’t stop crying and had to come back some other time. So, be open to that possibility but try to make it as comfortable as possible for your baby.
Tip: Bring his favorite toy and book!
Mark x Abi 
woah! ganon pala yon,i wish me amd my baby could travel around the world din
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Thanks for this♥️
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super mabilis lang kaso we just didnt expect na pag no appointment automatic 1,200 ang payment hehehe 😅
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Now i know!!! Super thank you mommy!
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