DFA Makes Decision on Unclaimed Passports for Around a Year Now
DFA – The Department of Foreign Affairs made an announcement regarding the unclaimed passports issued before December 2020.
One of the primary identification documents in the Philippines is the Philippine passport. Although it is mainly needed for travel purposes, it can be used in several other legal transactions to prove the identity and citizenship of the person. It also entails the individual’s travel history.
To apply for a Philippine passport, you may head to the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Consular Offices based in different cities and municipalities across the nation. You need to present a confirmed Online Appointment, a duly-accomplished Application Form, an original and photocopy of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and a valid government-issued ID. The release of the Philippine passport may take a few weeks depending on the schedule set by the DFA.
From time to time, the Department of Foreign Affairs releases an advisory. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, DFA recently made an announcement regarding the unclaimed Philippine passports that were set for release before December 2020.
The Department said that it will cancel or dispose the passports set for release before December 2020 but still unclaimed by January 7, 2022. It also gave a reminder to the holders or owners of the said passports that once cancelled or disposed, they would have to file a new passport application.
DFA clarified that unclaimed Philippine passports set for release after December 2020 are not affected nor included in the cancellation notice. The Department is urging passport-holders to claim their documents within 30 days from the set schedule of the issuance.
In case that the owner of the passport cannot claim it, he or she may authorize to do it in his or her behalf provided that the requirements for a representative claim are met. In case the representative is an immediate family member, he or she must present the following:
- authoritization letter
- original DFA issued receipt
- valid ID of applicant and representative
In case the one who will claim is not an immediate family member of the passport owner, he or she must present an original notarized Special of Attorney (SPA) executed by the applicant and a valid ID.
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