DFA passport processing in Luzon suspended, limits services in Visayas, Mindanao

Passport processing in Luzon has been suspended until further notice amid an intensified government quarantine due to coronavirus threat, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.

"In accordance with the Enhanced Community Quarantine, the Office of Consular Affairs in Aseana Parañaque City and all Consular Offices in Luzon will temporarily suspend their operations today, 17 March 2020 until further notice," a DFA statement said.

Passport applicants with confirmed appointments will be accommodated once operations resume, it added.

Those seeking authentication and civil registration services are also advised to avail of these services after the same period.

As coronavirus cases rise, the Philippine government on Monday announced an enhanced quarantine for Luzon, restricting domestic and inbound and outbound travel, suspending mass transport, enforcing stricter border patrols while urging people to stay home.

For Visayas and Mindanao, the DFA said it will be operating with lean staff and will provide services "only to individuals with urgent consular needs, such as Overseas Filipino Workers and those with medical emergencies, beginning 17 March 2020 until further notice."

"This temporary arrangement is in support of the declarations of various local community quarantines and the current nationwide public health efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19," it said.

Saturday operations in the Visayas and Mindanao are likewise canceled.

Passport applicants with confirmed appointments from March 9 to April 11, including those with confirmed appointments on Saturdays, who will fail to show up can still be accommodated from April 13 to May 29 during regular office hours, except on Saturdays.

Authentication and Civil Registration services will also be available during the same period.

The DFA also advised applicants to prepare for contingencies as delays in passport deliveries are expected. -- BAP, GMA News