Public Advisory: Notice of ePassport Issuance
The public is informed that the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, Japan will soon be issuing the ePassport — the Philippines’ first passport with an integrated circuit chip containing the details of the passport holder, including biometric information, a copy of the holder’s photograph and digital signature, among others.
The new and enhanced security features of the ePassport greatly increase the confidence of international immigration authorities in the authenticity and integrity of the passport holder’s identity, allowing for more convenient processing at international ports of entry while helping prevent identity theft and tampering of personal data which plagued previous Philippine passport issuances.
The new Philippine ePassport conforms to the stringent standards required by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) — a special agency of the United Nations tasked with the codification and establishment of standards and recommended practices pertaining to air travel and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for international air transportation.
As the manufacture and production of the ePassport entail additional costs for the security features and integrated microchip, a small price adjustment for passport fees is expected. The price of the Philippine ePassport, however, is significantly much lower than electronic passports issued by other countries.
While the new ePassport will soon be made available to applicants in Japan, all Philippine passports previously issued by the Philippine Government shall remain valid until the date of expiry indicated therein. Holders of Machine Readable Passports (MRP) not nearing its date of expiration need not apply immediately for an ePassport.
1 June 2010
Tokyo, Japan
