JEDDAH, 25 May 2008 — The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah has begun accepting applications yesterday for the machine-readable passports, an advisory from the consulate said.
All applications will be received by the consulate and will be sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs for issuance of the new passport, since the MRPs can only be issued in the Philippines.
The applicant will receive his/her new passport thirty (30) days after filing the application.
Requirements for the issuance of the new machine-readable passport are:
• Personal appearance at the consulate for purposes of fingerprinting and signature verification.
• Duly accomplished application form with applicant’s signature to be signed in front of the Consular Officer.
• Three colored photos (royal blue background, preferably matte paper and not Polaroid).
• Submission of old passport with photocopies of the data pages and inside back cover.
• Renewal fee of SR200 for 48 pages.
Last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs started issuing machine-readable passports in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization requirement that all travelers should have machine-readable passports.
The new passport was first made available for government officials, diplomatic workers, senior citizens applying for passports at the DFA and OFWs applying for passports at the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA).
The new travel documents are expected to greatly minimize passport irregularities while maximizing international acceptance and credibility.
