Traveling to other countries requires a passport. No one is exempt, well, only 3 are (King Charles III, Japan's Emperor Naruhito, and Empress Masako).¹ Such a rare privileged, huh!
Except for them, everyone who wants to cross his/her country's borders needs to have a valid passport. Getting one may be super easy for some, and challenging for others.
For us here in the Philippines, it has been a breeze so far since the online appointment system was introduced in 2008. Gone are the days when passport applicants would queue for long hours to get related requirements from various government offices (i.e. Statistics Office for authenticated birth and marriage certs; NBI for no criminal record clearance, visiting authorized photo centers to take one's photos, etc).
Nowadays, one can get the requirements online and delivered to his doorstep. Afterward, he can secure an appointment for his passport application through the official site. Go to the consular office on the confirmed appointment day, spend some 30 minutes inside the office (for verification of docs, photo taking, and paying the associated fees), and that's it. One can even request expedited processing which takes 7 working days. And should he choose, his passport will be delivered to his residence with a small courier fee or he could pick it up on the scheduled release time. No sweat, yeah?
DFA Appointment SystemI remember my first experience applying for a passport in 2001 when I traveled to another place (San Fernando) because it was a struggle in my city where the number of people was too much. Some would go to the consular office as early as 3 am to be the first in line when the office opens. That's how crazy it was back in the day. Thankfully, that is no longer the case today.
Renewing one's passport is also super convenient. 1️⃣ Secure an appointment, 2️⃣ print out the confirmation and application form, and bring them with you plus your valid ID and expiring passport (including photocopies of them) when you go to the office on the appointed date. 3️⃣ Then wait for your new passport to be delivered to your nominated address, or you can pick it up at the consular office on the release date.
Yes, it is easy to obtain one but what power does it hold when traveling?
Ours may not be among the strongest passports like France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, or Spain that can access 194 destinations without a visa, but we enjoy certain benefits.
☑️ For one, Philippine passport holders have visa-free access to 39 countries, visa on arrival to 26 nations, or electronic travel authorization (eTA) to 4 countries.² Haiti, for example, gives us 90 days of stay without a visa. I've been to Singapore (once) and Hong Kong (countless times) with no visa.
And look, we can visit Canada too by getting an eTA!
☑️ Except for Kuwait and the visa-free nations included in the above, Philippine passport holders can enter any other country by obtaining a visa.
It is not difficult, at least based on my experience during my travels to countries like New Zealand (been there twice with a work visa), China (lived there for 7 years with a work & business visa), and The Mariana Islands (4x, 8 months in total on a tourist & business visa). Maybe I should try applying for a US visa to see how it goes, lol!
☑️ Philippine passport holders can choose to have dual citizenship and enjoy the best of both worlds😉
Filipinos who became citizens of another country can retain or reacquire their Philippine nationality while keeping the other country's citizenship. They can choose to hold both passports too.
☑️ Locally, the Philippine passport is one of the major identification documents that we can use in the absence of the national ID card. It can be presented when doing transactions (banks, money transfers, etc) requiring a valid ID.
☑️ I think it is also accepted by most entities requiring KYC.
Summing Up
Many Filipinos travel abroad for leisure and employment so it is good that passport application has now become easier compared to decades ago. Passport validity was only 5 years before but has now been made 10 years. It's an honor to hold one and enjoy the privileges that come with it.
While our passport has a good strength allowing us to access various destinations across the globe, I am hoping it will continue to improve and develop more diplomatic relations. That would make our future travel experiences even better.
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Lead image is my own, edited on Canva. Screenshots are linked directly to their sources. No copyright infringement intended. 26042024/20:24ph
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