DFA Says Unclaimed Passports Will Be Disposed
UNCLAIMED PASSPORTS DISPOSED – Those who have yet to claim their passports might want to consider picking them up soon.
Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said it would cancel “all unclaimed passports” scheduled for December 2020. Now, those that have their passports scheduled before the date need to claim them before January 7, 2022.
Meanwhile, those who fail to do so must file a new application for another passport. However, before doing so, one must obtain a certificate of unclaimed passport from DFA Aseana. Along with this, people can also go to the DFA Consular Office where the passports were processed.
The recent DFA announcement was made in accordance with DFA Order No. 2021-012 on the Disposal of Unclaimed and Spoiled Passports. Based on the order:
“a passport left unclaimed by its holder one year after the date it was received by DFA Aseana, or by the Consular Office or by the Foreign Services Post (FSP) shall be canceled.”
Currently, there is no penalty for claiming your passports late. But, the public is still encouraged to claim their passport within 30 days of its scheduled release.
WHY ARE PASSPORTS IMPORTANT?
If you want to travel abroad, then you have to get your passport. However, as the coronavirus pandemic hit the Philippines, many who had plans to travel were locked down.
As such, many have foregone claiming their passports. However, passports are still important for many reasons. In some cases, passports are required even for domestic travel. Additionally, passports offer an additional official government ID.
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