‘Pinoys with expired passports need birth certificates’

A Philippine Consulate of Guam staff accepts payment from Filipinos who are renewing their Philippine passports during the four-day mobile consular services at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multipurpose Center. (Jon Perez)

Filipinos who have expired Philippine passports are advised to submit original and authenticated copies of birth certificates once they renew. Philippine passports are valid for only five years.

Saipan Filipino-American Lions Club president Annamae Adaza, one of the volunteers of the four-day Philippine Consulate Guam’s mobile consular services at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multipurpose Center, said expired passports that need these documents are those issued on or before 2010.

“This include passports that have green covers or are already maroon but still doesn’t have machine-readable chips,” said Adaza, who added that photocopies or scanned birth certificate are not going to be accepted.

They, however, will accept applications for renewal in January 2017 since the months of September and November—the next schedule of the Philippine Consulate’s visit to the CNMI—have already been filled up. Applications for renewal were also accepted at the TSL Plaza in Garapan.

“Some of those who came here did not bring their original birth certificate but still they must have an appointment. The application now is for January 2017 since September and November for this year had already been filled up,” added Adaza.

A total of 321 passports were renewed, four lost passports replaced, 116 were issued passport extensions, 12 report of birth were made, three acknowledgement, two report of marriage, and one given affidavit were completed in the PCG’s four-day mobile consular services on Saipan.

Consul Mark Francis Hamoy reminded Filipinos here that honorary consul to the CNMI Eli Arago can only accept applications for passport renewals and they have the machine that gets the applicants’ biometrics.

Applications for passport renewals that were processed will receive their new copies in 60 days. The consulate will inform the release date of the passports and can be picked up either at Arago’s office at the JP Center or at the TSL Plaza, both in Garapan.

Hamoy also said that Arago could also provide legal advice, civil registration, application for dual citizenship, and double check all requirements needed for passport renewals before sending to the Guam office.

Hamoy led the PCG team that also included Allan Tangayan, Emerita Marquez, and Annabelle Oviedo-Lavarez.

Arago’s office thanked IT&E, Shirley Wilson Catering, Gold Ribbon, KFC, Mar Masilungan, the Saipan Lions Club, and all the volunteers of the four-day consular service.