Passport on Wheels - What You Need to Know About it

Even after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) made the passport application easier, it's still a hassle for some people who live in far off places. Why? Because of the fact that they still need to travel in order for them to apply for a passport. This is why the DFA made a better and a much more convenient effort to serve the people who need to get a passport. And thus, the Passport on Wheels (PoW) came to life. In this article, we will be giving you more information on what this Passport on Wheels is, where you can see them, what you need to submit for your requirements, literally everything you need to know about it.

Read: A Guide to Getting your Philippine Passport

What is the Passport on Wheels?

Based on what it's called, the Passport on Wheels is a service from the DFA to extend its efforts in serving the public. It was a nationwide move and aims to assist thousands of Filipinos daily.

As per the DFA, with this Passport on Wheels, they will be able to accommodate at its maximum capacity and they will serve more passport applicants than the usual. When it first launched in January 2018, the number of POW applicants in the first six (6) months were already equivalent to the service of four (4) medium-sized consular offices.

Alan Peter S. Cayetano, Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary said that this will provide service and can accommodate hundreds and thousands of more passport applicants.

Through the Passport on Wheels, we are not only able to bring our consular services closer to the people but, more importantly, serve more people, accommodating more than 138,000 applicants since January."

What services can the Passport on Wheels accommodate?

If you think that this will only provide service to new passport applicants, think again. Other services like renewal and claiming of loss and stolen passports can also be done in the PoW.

Read: Read: Requirements and Procedure for Applying Driver’s License in the Philippines

Adult and minor new and renewal passport applicants can be served in the PoW. So, if you are looking for an easy way for your passport to be finished, you can resort to the PoW.

Just to be clear, the Passport on Wheels is a group of teams which visit schools, municipalities, and government offices to be able to give aid for them to have their passports.

How can the PoW give service to establishments and institutions?

According the Cayetano, any company, organization, school, or LGU, can get the PoW service via a formal written request to the Assistance Secretary for Consular Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs via email. The email needs to be sent to [email protected] and [email protected].

NOTE: The letter must specify the number of applicants in estimation. It needs to be at a minimum of 500 applicants; maximum of 2,000, the name and contact details of the coordinator of the requestor, with the preferred schedule, of course.

What are the requirements if you are to apply for a passport via the PoW?

The requirements are pretty much the same as to how you would apply for a passport in a consular office. To give you a rundown, you would need:

• Duly accomplished application form
• Personal appearance
• PSA-certified birth certificate (original copy) or PSA-authenticated marriage certificate (for married females)
• Original and photocopy of two (2) valid IDs

If you are a student, you can submit your original copy of the registrar's certificate, your school ID (original and photocopy), and your PSA-certified birth certificate.

How about passport renewals?

In renewing the Maroon passport (machine readable passport) and the green ones, those will be treated as new applicants so you can refer to the above instructions.

Read: How do you Apply and Register for the CSC-Computerized Examination?

Renewal of ePassports, on the other hand, would have a different set of instructions:

• Personal appearance of the person
• Current ePassport with the photocopy of the data page
• PSA-authenticated documents like birth certificate or marriage certificate

For minor renewal applicants:

• Passport of the applicant (current one)
• School ID (original and photocopy)
• PSA-certified birth certificate
• Personal appearance of both the authorized adult companion (guardian or parent) and the minor applicant

In the event that the applicant is not a legitimate child, there would be additional requirements:

• If the minor is not accompanied by his or her mother during the time of the appearance, the applicants need to submit a verified Special Power of Attorney (SPA) accomplished by the mother, anointing the companion to be allowed in the process.
• More so, if the minor is not traveling with the mother, the applicant must submit an Affidavit of Support and Consent (ASC) and a DSWD Clearance accomplished by the mother of the minor.
• If the mother of the minor is deceased, the father can take place of the mother and submit these documents. In the event that the father is not known, the following addition requirements must be submitted:
  • Affidavit of Guardianship
  • DSWD Clearance
  • Valid government ID of the adult guardian or the valid passport.

How much are the fees?

With the fees, it's just like the fees you would need to settle if you are to proceed with the process in a consular office. The only difference is that there is a courier fee of P150.00 because it is via PoW.

1. Passport fee is P1,200.00
2. Lost and Expired fee if the passport is lost/stolen/expired will have an additional P350.00

Benefits of the Passport on Wheels

If you come to think of it, the passport on wheels is a great way of helping the society achieve what they cannot because of the proximity of some office from provinces far from it.

With the passport on wheels, people can:

• Apply for a passport without going through the hassle of proceeding to a DFA satellite office;
• They can attend a seminar on what they need to bring for their passport application or renewal;
• If you have minors and you want them to have a passport, it's easier for you because you will not be required to travel distances just to apply for a passport; and
• Total convenience especially for people who live at far edges of the country.

Read: Philippine National ID: How can you Get your Phil ID?

Other than the Passport on Wheels program, Assistant Secretary Frank Cimafranca told other projects, plans, and initiatives to meet the demand for passport processes. Recently, there were new consular offices opened in San Nicolas in Ilocos Norte, Tacloban City, and Santiago City in Isabela to somehow ease the demand of the public.

Both Parañaque City and DFA ASEANA are open on Saturdays since the early start of 2018 for passport application and renewal services.

Read Also: Who Are Exempted From DFA’s Online Appointment for Passport Application