PHL Consulate in Dubai to ban walk-in applicants before 10 a.m.

Starting October 1, the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai, United Arab Emirates will no longer allow walk-in passport applicants before 10 a.m. on weekdays.

The Consulate General said this aims to lessen the volume of people coming to the consulate, UAE news site Gulf News reported.

“This move is to avoid inconvenience on their part as many of them think that if they come here early, they will be entertained. This will not be the case,” Vice Consul Geronimo Suliguin said.

Besides, Suliguin said the consulate general has an appointment system for passport applicants.

He said they will prioritize those with appointments, and walk-in applicants will only be allowed entry to the gate and entertained after 10 a.m.

Suliguin said the consulate accommodates some 250 passport applicants with appointments daily, but noted that about 100 go there as walk-ins hoping to be served on that day. Some of the walk-in applicants could be emergency cases.

However, Suliguin said there is no need for applicants to go to the consulate to get appointments since they can do it via the consulate’s website or Facebook page.

Meanwhile, the consulate general is planning more improvements such as a separate space for a courtesy lane for senior citizens, pregnant women, and people with special needs.

Other planned improvements include mount TV monitors and screens that will display consular procedures.

He noted most applicants are not aware of the procedures or requirements, which they could have accessed online.

"What happens is, they end up doing everything here, including filling out forms, which often delays them by at least 30 minutes. If they can do all this prior to coming here, they will be able to save more than half the time that they spend here,” he said. — KBK, GMA News