Pinoys in UAE told: Renew passports on time

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino expatriates in the United Arab Emirates have been asked to apply for new passports six months before the old ones expire. Online news site Khaleej Times reported Saturday the reminder came from Minister-Consul General Noel Servigon in the Philippine embassy in Abu Dhabi. "They must check the validity of their passport and renew them early if the validity date is less than six months," Servigon said. He said the six-month period set for renewal is for a hassle-free travel of Filipinos, as many airlines and embassies require validity of three to six months before date of travel. Also, he reminded Filipino expatriates to have the machine-readable passport by 2010 to avoid inconvenience at the airport and immigration counters when traveling. Filipino passport holders can also apply for the new passport even if their hand-scripted passports are not expiring as the Philippine government has not imposed any restriction on renewing early, he added. Servigon said applications for the new MRPs should be submitted with a photocopy of the applicant's current passport and three passport pictures with royal blue background. After three weeks from the date of submission, the applicants may check the status of their application at the Philippine Embassy website, he said. New passports will be released during the regular working hours of the Philippine Embassy, Sunday to Thursday, and also on Fridays from 2 to 4 p.m., he said. "They should bring their original current passport for cancellation when claiming the new one," he added. In the past, several employers in the UAE used to visit the Philippine diplomatic posts to renew the expiring passports of their Filipino employees, especially those in the household service industry, just few days before the expiry of their passports because the UAE authorities refuse to stamp their visas on expiring passports. Servigon said this cannot be done now considering that the printing of the new passport is being done in Manila and the Philippine embassy and the consulate-general only receive the applications to be sent by courier daily to the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila. - GMANews.TV