E-Passport processing back to normal

AFTER experiencing delays in the processing of the electronic passport last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs here announced that it has resumed its normal processing pace starting this month.
“The e-passport processing is back to normal this year,” DFA regional consular officer-in-charge Erlinda B. Albay said during the Davao Talking Points forum yesterday (Jan. 18) over Radyo ng Bayan.
Albay explained that the system in the DFA central office bogged down last year which caused delay in the e-passport processing of up to two months per application.
Currently, she said regular processing is back to 20-working days before an applicant could get his/her e-passport for a fee of P950.
The express processing, she added, is for ten working days for a fee of P1,200.
Albay said personal appearance is strictly required of all applicants who have to undergo biometric technology in capturing the needed information for the passport.
The DFA began issuing e-passports in the country in March 2010 following a requirement from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), she said.
The e-passport contains biometric information of the passport holder, in which data is enclosed in a chip embedded at the back cover of the passport.
The maroon-colored e-passport has enhanced security features by being tamper-proof. [PIA 11/CARINA L. CAYON]

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