Facing a mounting passport backlog, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday reiterated that passport holders needing to renew their travel document may opt to have the validity of their passports extended, a service which is being offered free of charge until the end of the year.
In an advisory on Thursday, the DFA said the free extension would be for one to two years and available to applicants for passport renewal both here and abroad.
The applications for extension will be processed and released within the same day, it said.
The offer will be available only until the end of this year, the DFA said.
The DFA last week admitted having received complaints over the growing backlog in passport processing, which as of last week had risen to 42,230 passports.
Apart from the old system having become obsolete, the DFA cited technical difficulties due to preparations for the transfer of the passport printing facilities.–Niña Calleja