My Day at the DFA
(Note: I wrote this last year. Forgot to publish it after. This is a small post for people who want to know what to expect during their DFA appointments.)
Before anything else, make sure you read very well all the reminders, such as Dress Code and their page on What to Expect written on the Department of Foreign Affairs' passport site.
It's a good thing I really took note of my DFA appointment March 22. (My previous blog post on getting the appointment is here.) Almost panicked because I thought I was lacking requirements, such as NBI clearance. It turns out, I didn't really need it. Anyway, this is a "What to Expect" based on my experience:
1. You have to get there 30 minutes before your schedule. If you're early for that, they supposedly won't let you in. However, when I arrived, there was already quite a line of people for the 11am slot. No worries. There are seats, and the people are segregated into their appointment schedules. The seats are plenty, placed under tents and cooled by big outdoor fans. Just figure out where the end of your line is, wait, and follow. My friend, Meann, calls the process that happens "musical chairs".
2. Don't expect to be called at your chosen time slot. When I arrived, I thought I wouldn't wait long... until I saw all the people. There are a lot of you per time slot. And even though it's organized, still, the later your time slot is, the later you'll be entertained. Fortunately, it seems there's certainty on what time you'll be done. According to Meann, she was scheduled for 8:30 am and finished around 10. Her aunt had the same time slot as me and we were both done by 2pm. Considering this, it's better if your schedule be in the morning.
3. If you have a lunchtime schedule, like me, make sure to eat beforehand! I saw them confiscating food being brought in so I think it's a no-no.
4. If you have all your documents intact, everything should be easy-breezy as soon as you get to the window. So make sure you double check what you need WEEKS before your assigned date.
5. When you're done with the first floor, they'll ask you to pay at the cashier on the second floor. Surprisingly, I wasn't faced with a long line even though there was only one cashier.
6. After paying, get a number for the encoding and wait for it to be called. (There are a lot of cubicles dedicated to the encoding process so you'll see the numbers flying by.) In the meantime, you can pay for delivery so you don't have to go back to DFA to pick up your passport later on. The fee is 120PHP.
If there's time left, you can make yourself presentable. Comb your hair. Put on makeup if you're female. Heck, just dab on some foundation if you want to, male or female.
7. Encoding! They'll double-check your details, take a quick pic, and save your digitized fingerprints and signature.
Voila~ you're done! Now to wait 'til your passport gets to you, safe and sound. Hopefully, you didn't have any trips scheduled before then, because it takes about a month before they drop it on your doorstep.
Before anything else, make sure you read very well all the reminders, such as Dress Code and their page on What to Expect written on the Department of Foreign Affairs' passport site.
It's a good thing I really took note of my DFA appointment March 22. (My previous blog post on getting the appointment is here.) Almost panicked because I thought I was lacking requirements, such as NBI clearance. It turns out, I didn't really need it. Anyway, this is a "What to Expect" based on my experience:
1. You have to get there 30 minutes before your schedule. If you're early for that, they supposedly won't let you in. However, when I arrived, there was already quite a line of people for the 11am slot. No worries. There are seats, and the people are segregated into their appointment schedules. The seats are plenty, placed under tents and cooled by big outdoor fans. Just figure out where the end of your line is, wait, and follow. My friend, Meann, calls the process that happens "musical chairs".
2. Don't expect to be called at your chosen time slot. When I arrived, I thought I wouldn't wait long... until I saw all the people. There are a lot of you per time slot. And even though it's organized, still, the later your time slot is, the later you'll be entertained. Fortunately, it seems there's certainty on what time you'll be done. According to Meann, she was scheduled for 8:30 am and finished around 10. Her aunt had the same time slot as me and we were both done by 2pm. Considering this, it's better if your schedule be in the morning.
3. If you have a lunchtime schedule, like me, make sure to eat beforehand! I saw them confiscating food being brought in so I think it's a no-no.
4. If you have all your documents intact, everything should be easy-breezy as soon as you get to the window. So make sure you double check what you need WEEKS before your assigned date.
5. When you're done with the first floor, they'll ask you to pay at the cashier on the second floor. Surprisingly, I wasn't faced with a long line even though there was only one cashier.
6. After paying, get a number for the encoding and wait for it to be called. (There are a lot of cubicles dedicated to the encoding process so you'll see the numbers flying by.) In the meantime, you can pay for delivery so you don't have to go back to DFA to pick up your passport later on. The fee is 120PHP.
If there's time left, you can make yourself presentable. Comb your hair. Put on makeup if you're female. Heck, just dab on some foundation if you want to, male or female.
7. Encoding! They'll double-check your details, take a quick pic, and save your digitized fingerprints and signature.
Voila~ you're done! Now to wait 'til your passport gets to you, safe and sound. Hopefully, you didn't have any trips scheduled before then, because it takes about a month before they drop it on your doorstep.
We discovered something when we went there for our schedule. When applying as a family, the whole family gets bumped to the express lane of processing. Even though, technically, we weren't married yet, they still considered us as "family" since we were with Brie, our daughter.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if they still do this but it sure cut down our waiting time significantly since this was during the time before they started opening satelite offices. Everyone applying still had to go to the main office in Macapagal Ave.
That's great! :) They should prioritize families with young children.
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