Assistance offered to holders of e-Passports with detached covers

(Updated 3:04 p.m.) People whose e-Passports have detached covers may have them replaced at any of the Department of Foreign Affairs' (DFA) offices, the department said in a statement Tuesday.

According to the statement, e-Passports with serial numbers EB0000001 to EB1267350 with detached covers may present their passports at the Office of Consular Affairs or DFA-Aseana, or the nearest Satellite or Regional Consular Office.

DFA spokesman Charles Jose said out of the 10 million passport issued from August 2009 to March 2014, less than 10,000 damaged passports were brought to the attention of the DFA.

“The DFA only came up with this advisory recently but we have been replacing it even before,” Jose told a press briefing on Tuesday.

Passports issued by the DFA is produced in partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, which supplies the passport booklets to the DFA.

Jose said these booklets “are all produced with materials and machines that have undergone strict and rigorous transparent government procedures.” However, he explained that technical glitches or malfunction happen and are encountered even by big manufacturing companies.

“It’s important that we put this in context. Even the big car manufacturers they recall every now and then some defective units,” Jose said.

“These things happen but it is not an excuse. But more importantly, we recognize and have been addressing the problem,” he added.

Replacements of defective passports may either come with payment or for free.

Replacement with pay:

• The majority of the pages have been used and the e-Passport’s condition is the result of wear and tear;
• The holder of the detached e-Passport refuses to surrender said passport to the DFA

Replacement free-of-charge (gratis):

• The applicant fills up the required replacement forms;
• The e-Passport is deemed substandard during inspection;
• The holder surrenders the detached e-Passport to the DFA

"In order to obtain assistance, holders of e-passports must satisfy all the conditions stated under either A or B," the DFA said.

Normal passport processing was restored last April 15 after a lengthy maintenance process.

E-Passports will become the only recognized passport in the Philippines by October 31, 2015, in accordance with new regulations from DFA and International Civil Aviation Organization. — Rie Takumi and Michaela del Callar/KBK, GMA News