Philippine Passport Fees Could Jump To Php1,500 Under New Proposal
The current fee of Php950 (Dh55.47) per passport booklet could rise to Php1,500 (Dh87.58) following a request from government passport printer APO Production to raise prices and sustain production.
Recommended For YouPhilippines' Senate Finance Committee chairperson Senator Jayvee Ejercito said the printer warned that without the proposed adjustment, it could be forced to stop operating. "In such a scenario, we might have a passport supply problem next year,” he said.
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Ejercito acknowledged that the proposed Php550 increase could be a burden, particularly for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). He said elderly applicants and migrant workers may potentially be offered discounts of up to Php300 (Dh17.52).
Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro justified APO Production's request, saying it was a "consequence of certain negotiations."
"The last passport fee increase happened in 2016,” she said, adding that the Philippine Passport Law allows passport costs are to be adjusted within three years.
The foreign minister, however, revealed they asked the printer to delay its request until 2028 to coincide with the release of the next generation of passports.
"If the fee increase is allowed by, say, January, how will it affect the next generation passports?” she asked, noting that the new passports will use a different type of paper.
Previous passport fee increasesWhile the Philippines' top diplomat cited her agency's effort to delay price adjustments to passport production costs, she did not recall that the DFA ordered passport renewal fee increases for overseas Filipinos as soon as Ferdinand Marcos Jr. became president in 2022.
DFA issued Circular No. 2694 issued by her predecessor Enrique Manalo revised the schedule of fees for consular services and document processing provided by Philippine embassies and consulates abroad.
The order increased fees for passport renewals and related services, including the Middle East. In Europe, Philippine embassies and consulates hiked their fees from €54 to €66.
Migrante International opposed the move, noting the added financial weight on migrant workers amid global inflation then trying to emerge from the effects of the Covid pandemic.
The (DFA) issues approximately 2.3 to 2.5 million Philippine passports annually, corresponding to the number of OFWs who are currently abroad. Another half-a-million Filipinos are active in seas around the world.
According to the country's Commission on Filipinos Overseas, there are an estimated 10.7 million overseas Filipinos living or working around the world who periodically apply for new passports.
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