Cancellation of Unclaimed Passports Scheduled for Release in January 2021
PASAY CITY, 10 February 2021 - The Department of Foreign Affairs - Office of Consular Affairs informs the public that effective 07 February 2022 the Department will implement the cancellation and proper disposal of all unclaimed passports which were scheduled for release until January 2021 in accordance with DFA Department Order No. 2021-012 on the Disposal of Unclaimed and Spoiled Passports.[1]
In line with this, the DFA-OCA reminds the public of the following:
- Those yet to claim their passports, which were scheduled for release in January 2021 or earlier, may do so until 01 March 2022 (Tuesday), at the DFA Consular Office where they were processed.
- Affected applicants must file a new passport application after securing a certificate of unclaimed passport from DFA Aseana or at the DFA Consular Office where the unclaimed passports were processed.
- Passports that were scheduled for release beginning 01 February 2021 are not affected and may be claimed from the DFA Consular Office where they were processed.
While no penalty is given for passports claimed at a later date, the public is encouraged to claim their passports within thirty (30) days from its scheduled release. Applicants may authorize another person to claim the passport on their behalf provided the authorized persons comply with the requirements indicated in the Department’s website at https://consular.dfa.gov.ph/services/passport/requirements/passport-releasing. END
[1] A passport left unclaimed by its holder one (1) year after the date it was received either by DFA Aseana, by the Consular Office (CO) or by the Foreign Services Post (FSP) shall be cancelled.”