Renewal of Passport as of May 30, 2013

     When you need to renew your passport, go to the DFA website where you can place an appointment through the net and schedule the date and time you will go. Better do it early.
   
     My husband and I had expired passport (our very 1st) and we completed first our requirements before going to the DFA's website to schedule our renewal. We got a schedule more or less 24 days away. I should have made a schedule at their site earlier even before getting some of our requirements. We renewed at DFA located at the 5th floor of SM Manila.

     On the day of the schedule, prepare all the necessary requirements and photocopy it. Make sure you have with you the printout of the schedule Form you got from the DFA website, the one with the barcode and sign it. If you do not have that, you will not be entertained.

     We arrived there at about 11am, 30minutes earlier. We saw that there is already a line forming for the 11:30am schedule. The guard let us in at about 11:20. Proceed to the front table where the personnel will scan the printout Form you got from the website and he will give you a number. You will then enter and sit anywhere in the Processing area. You will need to wait for your number and the window # where you will go to appear in the screen. In the window you need to give them your photocopied documents, your original IDs and documents (mine I showed SSS id, NSO birth certificate, voter's ID, Barangay clearance and NSO marriage contract) and your old passport. The personnel made me remove my eyeglasses to make sure it was me in the photo of my old passport, it was awkward really! Please make sure that they give you back your original documents and the Form with barcode, they will just get the photocopied ones. They will also punch a hole on your old passoprt and will make you sign that you've received it and then they will ask you how much you are going to pay (P950 Regular- 14working days or P1200 expedited-7working days) then issue a receipt to you. After that you may go to the cashier to pay the amount. Then proceed to the Encoding area where your information will be encoded, picture will be taken, left and right thumb mark scanned and your signature taken via a black scanner. I really hate signing on that damn thing, I always have weird looking signature on it. Reminder: You are not allowed to wear fake eyelashes, thick eyeliners and earrings...they will not take a photo of you unless you remove it. After the Encoding, you're all done. Just make sure you have with you your receipt when you go home to be able to claim your passport or you may opt for a delivery service that cost P120. All in all the processing was about 50 minutes for both of us.