Passports with 10-year validity to be twice as costly, says DFA

Date Posted: 05/19/2017

Passports with 10-year validity will be twice as expensive compared to current passports, GMA News’ Maki Pulido reported on 24 Oras on Thursday.

Passports can now cost applicants P1,900 to P2,000, twice the current price of P950 for passports with five-year validity, the report said, citing the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

“Definitely, the materials will change. The materials are, of course, a bit more expensive because we want the booklet to be durable enough to last 10 years,” said Ricarte Abejuela, DFA Office of Consular Affairs Passport Director.

“We’re also going to increase the number of  pages so definitely there are corresponding increases in cost as well,” he added.

The House of Representatives has already ratified the bicameral report on the proposal to extend the validity of passports. The ratified bill will now be forwarded to Malacañang for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature.

Not all passports, however, will have a 10-year validity, the report said. Passports of children aged three and below will only be valid for three years while passports of children aged four to 18 will be valid for five years.

“We will try to simplify requirements as much as possible, so hindi na kami hihingi ng sangkatutak na dokumento, kundi babawasan na namin to a bare minimum without of course compromising the integrity of the Philippine passport,” Abujuela said.

The report said the DFA could not say yet when the 10-year validity would be implemented, as it still has to issue an Implementing Rules and Regulations once the bill is signed into law. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News

Published Date: May 18, 2017
Source: GMA News