The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advises all Philippine passport holders to renew their passports at least one year before expiration date.
This is in lieu of applicants requesting for an extension of their ePassports' validity, which DFA will no longer allow starting October 2019.
DFA posted the advisory on their website on Thursday, October 29.
It states (published as is), "The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) informs all passport renewal applicants that extension of ePassport validity is no longer allowed in compliance with the standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
"Passport holders are recommended to renew their passports at least one year before the date of expiry.
"Appointments for passport applications in the Philippines may be done through http://passport.gov.ph.
"The DFA appreciates the continued cooperation and understanding of the public."
PHILIPPINE E-PASSPORT
According to a report by rappler.com, Philippine electronic passports or ePassports were issued by the DFA to applicants who experienced delays in the issuance of their machine-readable passports (MRP).
The ePassport has an integrated circuit (chip) in its pages that contain the biometrics of the passport holder, unique chip identification number, and a digital signature verifying the data inside the chip.
Over 60 countries worldwide are already using ePassports for their local and international travel documentation requirements.