New Location of Philippine DFA Passport and Authentication Services

Mar 09, 2010 36 Comments by archie

 Without much information given to the public, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) transferred its Office of Consular Affairs (OCA) into a not so accessible location.

If you try to survey the public if they happen to know this, then I’m sure a few only know. That’s why still a lot of applicants are going in the old location in Libertad, Pasay City, and yes including me. Now, a lot of tricycle drivers are taking chance of getting an income from the public by bringing them into the new location presumably near SM Mall of Asia (MOA), charging them Php 20 each – maximizing the capacity into 6 passengers, and then ended up walking a few meters more from the corner of EDSA and Macapagal Avenue.

DFA - OCA, Philippines

DFA - OCA, Philippines

 

The new location of the DFA – OCA is now at the corner of Bradco and Macapagal Avenues in Aseana Business Park, Paranaque City.

 

McDo at DFA - OCA, Philippines

McDo at DFA - OCA, Philippines

Heading towards SM Mall of Asia from EDSA, you can turn left to Macapagal Avenue. The new DFA – OCA is located beside a Petron gas station and McDonalds in front. For commuters, I guess there is public transport in the MOA as most of them head towards MOA.

DFA - OCA, Philippines

DFA - OCA, Philippines

 The new 7,000-square meter, four-storey building houses the Authentication (Red Ribbon) and Passport Services (new application and renewal).

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36 Responses to “New Location of Philippine DFA Passport and Authentication Services”

  1. dangal says:

    If I never cross this page I would never knew this today. This information is nice to have specially if you plan to go to DFA. At least you can save money and time going there.

  2. Loyd Lopez says:

    Thanks for the info… I needed this information badly for my appointment tomorrow!

    More power to your site! :)

  3. j says:

    I’ve had so much to complain about the new DFA passport system. first, you can’t just walk in to get/renew a passport you will need to get an appointment, and the earliest you can get online or over the phone is after a month and a half. so If you are set to travel 2 months prior to your application, say goodbye to your trip bec all they will tell you is to re-book your flight. I tried to talk to one of the supervisor if he really is, and he was rude. can I mention the name here bec I did get his name, you can’t go there wearing sandals even when you’re just claiming your passport, the guards are rude! one guard told me to go to baclaran and buy shoes if i want to be able to go inside the building. I was wearing a decent pair of white sandals. no skirt , no sando, no short. I appreciate theyre trying make changes to make it better but hell, please let the public know. i’ve asked my officemates if they are aware of this and NONE of them know!

  4. archie says:

    Yes, you can mention their names here.
    Any ways, they are rude.

  5. j says:

    Hi archie,
    I’m now in Malaysia and tho my experience with DFA was very unpleasant it was really nice to be able to get my passport still ahead of time, that is, after getting help from a friend working at Malacanan. He had to go straight to who is really in-charge to get it done. One phone call.

    TIP: if anyone URGENTLY needed to apply for a new passport or renew and don’t have an appointment, don’t beg from the guys at CAPAC, they’re rude. none of them can help you and they will just embarrass you infront of everyone. Go inside and go to PASSPORT DIVISION, People there are more pleasant to talk to. create a letter explaining why you needed to get your passport and show some docu ( plane tickets, etc.) They can help you.

  6. Albert says:

    Hi there!
    When I went to the new location of DFA, they only gave ma an appointment after a month.
    That is really not a good one.
    So, I try to go to POEA instead.

  7. Aileen says:

    Hi Archie,
    Thanks for this information. Although, I already had my passport which I got from Pasay way back 3 years ago and will not yet expire it is still good to know about this change of their office. I can say from what I’ve experienced before in Pasay it is very easy to apply for passport and I’m very suprised to know that even their system there had changed. Now I know what to do next time I renew my passport.
    More power to your site.

  8. joyce says:

    Good thing I have already my passport and have no plans in losing it. Since DFA is a public office, the government needs to always inform us all the changes they’re making to avoid incovenience to all people.

  9. Craig says:

    My fiance has had some issues with obtaining a new passport as she is a first time applicant.

    Firstly, the woman in the DFA who was preparing my fiance’s passport got her name wrong in the first place – good one DFA!!!

    So another passport had to be prepared.

    Then when she went there to have her passport released, the same woman refused to release her passport as her documents had conflicting names where some documents showed her full name and other documents only showed her known name which is her middle name.

    My fiance last night told me that even her affidavit which stated that the known name and the full name is the same person. But even that wasn’t good enough for them.

    So now, she has her affidavit, late registered birth certificate, student permit driver’s licence, baptismal, NBI Clearance and her elementary school transcripts all in her full name.

    Now you people at the DFA, there should be no excuses for not releasing her passport! She has now done everything that was instructed, so do us and yourselves a favour and release her passport when she attends the DFA shortly.

    Fortunately, my fiance won’t be seeing that same woman again.

    You’re right Aileen, it has all changed, for the worse, not for the better. It’s a shame that the innocent have to suffer because of the guilty ones who do the wrong thing.

  10. theresa says:

    it’s a good thing i stumbled upon this site. like one of those who already send their replies/comments, my appointment is tomorrow..:D bad me. i am searching the web for more directions since no one among my colleagues and friends know where the new dfa building is! too bad for me who is very bad in remembering directions.

    i have to thank mr. archie for pointing out those landmarks, now it will be easier for me to find it and hopefully, tomorrow, the puv’s will not be giving me a hard time by overcharging. wish wish! :D

    is it too much to ask that everything will go my way tomorrow… :D

    thanks a lot!

    theresa

  11. Shirley Francisco says:

    I agree with all the comments left here. Though, it may appear like not everybody is having a business/dealing with DFA, public information regarding their relocation should have still been published. I believe that there is a government agency that should take care of disseminating the information about any change on any of the public offices’ system, fees, location, etc., that will greatly affect the service that the taxpayers will receive.

    While rudeness and willingness to assist might be different issues to be addressed, I strongly suggest that we course it through the right channel. P-Noy has already expressed his intention of running a collective and collaborative governance. He did not deny that he will need our help to act on his promises. Escalating our grievances is one good act in helping our leaders to clean up the mess on the government offices.

  12. Vher says:

    i’ll be visiting this new building tomorrow. thank you guys for the heads up.

    whatever happens to me, i will share this on this site. :D DFA should be nice to me there, coz ill be dropping names and all. hehehe!

  13. shely says:

    The appointment system sounds pleasant to the ears but it is ABSOLUTELY NOT what everyone is expecting. When you say that you have an appointment on that day, you’ll expect that there wont be long lines and what not. But lo and behold, you have to wait for FIVE HOURS to finish your passport application!

    Please don’t go on media telling everyone that it would only take 30 minutes for you to get your passport because that ONLY APPLIES TO CELEBRITIES AND NOT TO THE MAJORITY.

    One more thing about the so called “COURTESY LANE”. It is universally known that courtesy is given to SENIOR CITIZENS, PREGNANT WOMEN, DISABLED AND CHILDREN. My 4yrs old son applied for a passport but he WAS NOT given any courtesy so HE HAD TO WAIT FOR ANOTHER THREE (3) HOURS JUST TO HAVE HIS PICTURE TAKEN compared to those people who were given some courtesy simply because THEY KNOW SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE EMPLOYED AT DFA AND WERE ESCORTED TO THE COURTESY LANE. And the DFA employee wasn’t even patient enough to take a photo of a 4yrs old kid. Whats up with that? The kid waited for that long, you dont expect him to be in a good mood, right?

    I’m sure this feedback will not be given any importance and what not but I hope I was able to send the message across.

  14. theresa says:

    Hello, guys!

    This is a very late ‘post-DFA visit’ comment.

    Here’s the deal: My appointment was last July 6, 8am. Since i’m not sure where the building is exactly, i went way ahead of schedule and was there by 6-630am.

    As expected there was already a long line at the gate. Only those with appointments are allowed inside. The door was opened at about 7:30am, the earliest appointment being set at 7am (hmmm…surprise..surprise).

    By the time the main door was opened, there was already a very looooonnnng line of those who have appointments at 7 and 730. And a separate loooonnnng line of those for 8am, and guess what?! Another looonnnggg line of those for 830… and yes you are right…the line is never ending.

    And once you’ve managed to get inside, you still have to get a waiting number! Appointments are set only to group people into batches, the process still goes by the ‘first-come-first serve’ basis, except for the senior citizens.

    So my appointment was at 8am and my number was 4051. (Literally i’m the 4051st new applicant for Tuesday.) My number was called at around 9:30am. Then it was a matter of 5 minutes or so, before the teller sent me to the 2nd floor for data verification (this is where the pictures are taken), which is a longer waiting process, if you can believe that. This was due to the few computers alloted for this part, that time it was only 5 i think. If you’re number is called, it will only take you 10 minutes at most. Then you can request for a delivery or not, and that’s it.

    Basically, it would have been a breeze if they only accepted a specific number of appointments that they can accommodate within a certain period of time. For example, if within 7-730, they can only do 30 people, or so.

    In general, it was easy. But in everything else, i believe ‘patience is definitely a virtue’ when it comes to government facilities.

    Directions to DFA: I took a multicab near LRT Gil Puyat Station to MOA (P10), from MOA, there are designated multicabs passing thru DFA (P7).

    Thanks!

  15. Angelica Latonio says:

    Thanks for this information.

    Good thing I already had my passport which I got from Pasay City just last year (2009) and still good to know that they change their location which is not accessible for public unless you drive your own car. Now I know what to do when I renew my passport.

  16. ann says:

    Hi Archie,

    I’m not yet convinced that I have to apply for my passport until now. But thanks for giving us this simple instruction on how we can get by the new location of DFA for passport services. I was lucky to hear about the relocation on the news but I don’t know how to get there. This information is of great help to anyone who can read this. Ive noted down this instruction just in case I need it.

  17. theresa says:

    @ ms Angelica latonio: it is accessible to the public as i did commute the time i went there. take a ride to moa and there’s a group of vans there that passes by the dfa site.

  18. tintin says:

    I got an appointment las Sept.25.. my passport is supposed to be delivered last oct.11 but until now, i still dont have it.. what seems to be wrong with that..?

  19. Diana says:

    may i ask if do i need to have this appointment system on the internet before going to the dfa? and how long should i wait before they release it?

  20. archie says:

    @ angel
    Before, you need to visit DFA to get your appointment.
    Then, I’ve heard now that it took more than one month to get your passport.
    I suggest try visiting the new DFA office.
    They change procedure every now and then.

  21. theresa says:

    @Diana you need to have an appointment thru the internet if you are going to visit the main DFA near MOA. it only took me i think 1 week or so to receive the passport, actually they were sent a few days earlier than the expected date. you have a choice to include it in rush processing (1week) or the regular two weeks with additional payment of course.

    better set an appointment now because it takes some people a month’s time. i was lucky i got one within 2 weeks of the time i logged in the DFA site.

  22. Enresto K. Evangelista says:

    …all the things you guys have experienced at DFA manila, are existing here at the Phil. embassy in al khobar, saudi arabia…long lines, 5 to 10 hours of waiting (just to pay)… another extra hours for other purposes (re: to be photographed, encoded, etc.)…. and what have you, rude personnel… one male DFA personnel (the one accepting applications) had the nerve to ask me what is my nationality??… i told him to look at my passport, my applications for that… and he laughed up loud, as if i am joking with him… i do not khow him, nevertheless, i am hungry at that point…

  23. Ernesto K. Evangelista says:

    .. thank you archie…

  24. LALAINE says:

    where exactly to renew a passport for tomorrow?am i right to go to ASEANA BUSINESS PARK,BRADCO AVENUE?im confused1IS THE BUILDING IS JUST FOR MARCH APPOINTMENT?THANKS

  25. archie says:

    Hi Lalaine,
    Yes, please go to the ASEANA for your passport renewal.

  26. joan says:

    Di i need to make an appointment at DFA before going there if I just want my papers to be authenticated (red-ribbon)??? i kinda dont know the new rules now and i was just reading all the feedbacks here and it looks bad.. Well, can anyone tell me if i still need an appointment for authentication? Thanks!

  27. archie says:

    @ joan
    Appointment system is only applicable for passport renewal and new applications.

  28. Vivian says:

    word of caution…. the DFA personnel assigned at the POEA are very rude. If you’re an OFW planning to renew your passport, be ready to experience verbal abuse from the lady assigned at Window 3. These people act like they have the right to say anything they want to say even if it’s so personal already just because they process your papers.
    DFA should make sure that their employees are trained well including on respect specially that they are government employees.

  29. Rea Abinales says:

    thanks for this reliable info.. buti na lang at na confirm ko ang bagong address nila sa site mo kc hindi pa nila napapalitan un contact addy nila sa website nila… :)

  30. archie says:

    You’re welcome.
    I shared this information because of my bad experience with DFA when I renew my passport.

  31. mhalou says:

    good day!
    just want to know, where exactly will i go on MAY 10,2011 to claim the DFA Authentication ( Red Ribbon) of my TOR and Diploma which i submitted to CHED last April 25,2011.
    hope you could help me regarding this matter.
    thank you so much and GOD bless.

  32. Ced says:

    I had read much about these hell of an experience at gov’t offices especially DFA Manila so I decided to take my chances sa DFA Pampanga. The appearance, after you asked for it was 3 days at most in waiting. So came appearance day and I was there right at the nick of time. The processing was flawless. All in all, it took me 2hours at max to process my new passport application. BTW, I’m from Rizal province. :) )

  33. john paul santos says:

    I had a bad experience going in ASEANA DFA., after preparing all the requirements and xerox everything and waited for my turn in a very long line, staff told me that NBI and Postal ID are not acceptable because these things can be faked. Oh, my why the hell they put those in their website? and besides they should have known the fake from authentic, It was not our problem anymore, . The window 20, told me that they did not know the website of dfa, how come? and to quote what she said “wag mo na ako inisin, kanina pa akong 7am dito papagod na ako”?hindi kami ang gumawa ng website.!” wew, was that the right answer, after doing their instructions based on their website? why I have to suffer when she was tired. It was her choice to work at dfa., The last thing she did , was for me to provide her my (school ID , my YEARBOOK,even my form 137) where would I find those, I was no longer student, ask again the staff what If I could not provide those, she told me to go to my classmate and borrow his yearbook. …WOW a very professional answer huh? Please help me,to get my passport, I am 100% sure of my papers’ authenticity. NBI and POSTAL ID and my NSO Birth are very strong identifications.I Want to go to dfa director to addressed these problems, I think proper coordination at NBI and to other local agencies are necessary. AND ALSO A VERY HELPFUL AND KIND STAFF whether tired or not!

  34. Archie says:

    Thanks for visiting my website.

    The best other ID to present is I believe na SSS ID or TIN ID together with the NSO BIRTH CERT.

  35. Darius says:

    To John Paul Santos:

    Your story was a bit similar to what happened to my colleague. He went to DFA knowing that they do not accept Company ID, Postal ID and even BIR ID. I have an appointment as well on June 17th 2011, and i only have those ID’s(BIR,Company and Postal). I am worried because my colleague was sent home because those ID’s are not accepted which is what i have as well, i might be sent home too. I lost my student ID’s and diplomas because of some reason, and even my Certified True Copy of my Birth Certificate, but i have my NSO Cert.

    I saw it on their website that they accept BIR, NSO and NBI so i think i’m good to go. I am a little bit hesitant to go because of the story of my colleague and your story.

    If only i can get a SSS ID or Voters ID in a week then i’ll be glad, but getting an SSS ID is worse as well.

    The higher authority must instruct people from DFA to do the right thing, and should be updated on what is on their website.

    Thanks for sharing.

  36. Rolly says:

    Lucky for me,,because i took my PASSPORT at clark pampanga, during that time ,,, i haven’t experienced such problems,,,,,

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