DFA adjusts passport services schedule due to Covid-19

The DFA announced there will be no Saturday operations nationwide beginning March 21 until further notice. (Shutterstock photo)

MANILA – People with no urgent need for consular services are advised to defer visits to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) offices in Metro Manila.

In an advisory on Saturday, the DFA said all its consular offices (CO) in Metro Manila “will be temporarily operating with a skeletal workforce and provide consular services only to individuals with urgent needs, such as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and those with medical cases, from 16 March 2020 until 14 April 2020”.

The DFA CO in NCR-Central (Robinson’s Galleria) will operate Mondays to Fridays, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. while all the other COs in Metro Manila will operate Mondays to Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On the other hand, the DFA Office of Consular Affairs in ASEANA Business Park will operate Mondays to Fridays, from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.

The DFA announced there will be no Saturday operations nationwide beginning March 21 until further notice.

“Passport applicants with confirmed appointments from 9 March 2020, and who were not able to show up during their appointment due to COVID-19 concerns and the community quarantine, will be accommodated from 15 April until 29 May 2020, during regular office hours, except on Saturdays,” the agency said.

Likewise, those seeking Authentication and Civil Registration services are also advised to avail of these services after the same period.

Applicants with questions or emergencies may get in touch with the DFA Consular Office where their appointment was scheduled, email at oca.concerns@dfa.gov.ph or call 8651 9400.