It is not new: Setting up online appointments through the website of the Department of Foreign is hard. If you are in need of an urgent renewal, you would need to get the services of agents offering online appointments for a fee. This can be tricky especially if you are working as an Overseas Filipino Worker and you are just spending some time in the country for vacation.

Better System

This is good news for all OFWs: if you are planning to renew your passport in the Philippines, you don’t need to set up an online appointment anymore. You just need to head to the DFA NCR Central Office in Robinsons Galleria and apply for a new passport through their walk-in process.

After experiencing disappointments when it comes to renewing passports, especially when it comes to the stricter regulations of getting a job in the United Arab Emirates, the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Frank Cimafranca, announced that people who are looking to travel and work abroad will no longer need to set an appointment to have their passports processed.

No More Online Appointments

To get a Philippine Passport, OFWs can now directly go to Robinsons Galleria.

Ang mga OFWs wala nang kailangang appointment. They can just come to any of our office, walk-in, and apply.

According to Cimafranca, the website has been updated with the same direction as well. To add more value to the service, DFA will also be launching a portal dedicated to first time OFWs which links to the recruitment agencies they applied in. This could help with the turn around time for the future papers to be processed faster and easier.

How to Renew It

The DFA NCR Central or Robinsons Galleria branch is the specific office for an OFW Passport Renewal.

Processing for the applications is from 8 in the morning until 12 noon. There is no need to queue as OFWS get to apply directly. They just need to go to the OFW lane.

Now, renewing passport is made easier and faster.