When to Renew Philippine Passport
DFA recommends having your passport renewed as early as one year before its expiration date. Here are two reasons why:
a. First, there are countries that have adopted the “6-month rule,” meaning they don’t allow entry of travelers whose passports have less than 6 months of validity upon arrival.
If you’re about to visit the following countries, make sure your passport has at least (or more than) 6 months left before its expiration date:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bhutan, Botswana, Brunei, Cambodia, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Guyana, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Some Philippine passport holders book a flight to one of these countries not realizing their passports will have less than 6 months of validity by the time they have their scheduled trips. The earlier you realize the need to renew your passport, the better.
Set an appointment right away and make sure the Philippine passport will be issued to you prior to the date of departure. In case the release date falls on the date of your scheduled trip, DFA can provide you with a travel document.
The travel document is given so that you can pass through immigration without any problem. Basically, your soon-to-be expiring passport won’t be punched with a hole yet so you can still use it on your trip temporarily and show to the immigration officials that it’s already scheduled for renewal.
b. All Philippine passports are printed in the Philippines to prevent the proliferation of counterfeit documents.
So in addition to the 6 months of validity required by some countries (including the Philippines), you also have to factor in the time it takes for you to get your renewed passport.
Go back to the main article: How to Renew Philippine Passport: An Ultimate Guide
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