03 January 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh processed 72,028 passport applications in 2013, posting an increase of 33.6% compared to 2012 during which the Embassy had processed 53,913 passports.

In 2013, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh processed 1,522 new passports for newly born infants; 64,298 renewals and 6,208 replacement passports for lost passports.  Around 6,000 replacement passports of the 6208 were issued during the correction period, particularly in May and June.

These numbers do not include the passport applications processed by the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah.

The Embassy also conducted 37 consular outreach missions in 2013, compared to 24 in 2012 and 19 in 2011.  During the outreach missions, the Embassy team went to Al-Khobar, Hafr Al-Batin, Al-Khafji, Arar, Buraidah, Hofuf, Jubail, Ras Tanura, Sakaka, and Hail.  The Embassy also conducted outreach in Sana’a, Yemen and at the second Industrial City in Riyadh.

At the end of 2013, the Embassy conducted a ten day outreach in Al-Khobar which served 1,440 passport applicants.  This was done without requiring prior appointments, which are set online.

As an emergency procedure, the Embassy extended the validity of 6,383 passports for emergency situations and they were required to also apply for an e-Passport at the same time. 

The Embassy has consular jurisdiction over the regions of Riyadh, Eastern Region, Qassim, Hail, Northern Borders, and Al-Jouf.  The rest of the regions in the Kingdom are under the consular jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah.

Passport processing in Riyadh and during the consular outreach missions is by appointment, except for infants, pregnant women, senior citizens, and the handicapped.

For 2014, the Embassy has scheduled 36 consular outreach missions in various cities around the Kingdom.  The appointment module can be accessed on the Embassy website www.philembassy-riyadh.org and is posted two months before the scheduled outreach.

The Embassy reiterates its advisory for all Filipinos to verify the validity of their passport, and to ensure that it is valid for at least 6 months beyond any travel.  In addition, Filipinos should plan to apply for their passports around 9 months before the passports’ expiry. END