HCCH Secretary General Dr. Christophe Bernasconi Visits DFA-OCA, Appreciates Security Features of Philippine e-Apostille

Office of Consular Affairs - Authentication Division Director Manuel C. Ayap (top right) showcases the security features of the Paper Apostille to the Hague Conference on Private International Law Secretary General Dr. Christophe Bernasconi (far left) and the Office of Consular Affairs Assistant Secretary Ma. Antonina M. Mendoza-Oblena (bottom right) (Photo courtesy by DFA-OCA)

MANILA 20 MAY 2025 — The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) Secretary General Dr. Christophe Bernasconi visited the Department of Foreign Affairs - Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA) to observe the process of its Apostille service. DFA-OCA introduced the key features of the Philippine e-Apostille and Paper Apostille, and discussed its future plans with the HCCH Secretary General. 

During their discussion, the Assistant Secretary of OCA, Ma. Antonina M. Mendoza-Oblena, emphasized the importance of digitization of its services to further address the needs of the Filipino people. Additionally, the HCCH Secretary General Dr. Christophe Bernasconi highlighted the significance and convenience of the e-Apostille in today’s increasingly digital world. 

Designed and administered by the HCCH Secretary General, he stated the importance of e-Apostille in ‘guaranteeing that the apostille process is more secure and more effective.’ The HCCH Secretary General stressed the relevance of the e-Apostille in providing ease of transactions to Filipinos who need to have their documents authenticated. 

In collaboration with the Philippine Statistics Authority and the PSA Helpline via Pilipinas Teleserv,  DFA-OCA launched the e-Apostille in the Philippines on 19 March 2024. Currently available for PSA civil registry documents via PSA Helpline, its key features are the Cover Sheet for easier access to the end-user to verify the e-Apostille, keycode and QR code on the e-Apostille, and the Apostille Serial Number on the underlying document. DFA-OCA assured that the system will operate on a government-to-government basis to verify the authenticity of public documents transmitted via the electronic service.

DFA-OCA aims to go fully digital and cooperate with other government agencies to expand the e-Apostille’s reach. To further improve the services to cater to the large diaspora of Filipinos all around the world, the Assistant Secretary stated, ‘The only way forward to aid the increasing demand is to go digital.’ END

Office of Consular Affairs - Authentication Division Director Manuel C. Ayap (left) showcases the security features of a PSA civil registry document to the Hague Conference on Private International Law Secretary General Dr. Christophe Bernasconi (middle) and the Office of Consular Affairs Assistant Secretary Ma. Antonina M. Mendoza-Oblena (right) (Photo courtesy by DFA-OCA)

The Hague Conference on Private International Law Secretary General Dr. Christophe Bernasconi (middle) alongside Office of Consular Affairs - Authentication Division Director Manuel C. Ayap (left)  and the Office of Consular Affairs Assistant Secretary Ma. Antonina M. Mendoza-Oblena (right) examines the security features of the Paper Apostille (Photo courtesy by DFA-OCA)

From left to right: The Hague Conference on Private International Law Secretary General Dr. Christophe Bernasconi and the Office of Consular Affairs Assistant Secretary Ma. Antonina M. Mendoza-Oblena on their way to the Processing Section of Authentication Division (Photo courtesy by DFA-OCA)

From left to right: The Office of Consular Affairs Assistant Secretary Ma. Antonina M. Mendoza-Oblena, The Hague Conference on Private International Law Secretary General Dr. Christophe Bernasconi, Office of Consular Affairs - Authentication Division Director Manuel C. Ayap, and Office of Treaties and Legal Affairs Director JP Leo P. Asong with the Authentication Division Personnel (Photo courtesy by DFA-OCA)