Public Advisory: Start of ePassport Issuance
Starting 16 June 2010, the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo, Japan will be issuing the ePassport — the Philippines’ first passport with an integrated circuit chip containing the details of the passport holder including biometric information, compliant with the standards set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
As the passport application now includes a mechanical component involving the live capture of each applicant’s biometric data (photograph, digitized signature, fingerprints), an increase in processing time per applicant is expected.
In as much as the Consular Section makes every effort to accommodate all passport applicants on a daily basis, the additional steps involved in the application process combined with the limited space in the Consular Section constrain the capacity of the Passport Unit to accept all transactions. Thus, a numbering scheme will be implemented for the time being.
Walk-in passport applicants shall be given corresponding numbers on a first come, first serve basis. For the public’s convenience and as an alternative option, passport applications can be filed online at http://tokyo.philembassy.net/pponline/
Due to the limited space inside the Consular Section, it would be appreciated if applicants can manage to come by themselves, except for minors who need to be accompanied by at least one parent when applying for a passport.
Except for the compulsory requirement for applicants to appear in person for biometric data capture and the slight increase in the passport fee (USD 60), the requirements for passport application/renewal remain the same as that of the Machine Readable Passport (MRP).
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.
14 June 2010
Tokyo, Japan
