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DFA consular services returning to pre-pandemic levels this year

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ZEN HERNANDEZ

ABS-CBN News

<figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments" id="isPasted"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1707317761590.png" alt="The Philippine Passport. ABS-CBN News/File" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><figcaption>The Philippine Passport. ABS-CBN News/File</figcaption></figure><div> </div>MANILA — Appointments for various services, including passports and apostilles, are seen to return to pre-pandemic levels within the year, according to Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo.   Passports issued in 2023 reached 3.179 million, which is only a million less than the 2019 figure of 4.095 million. There has also been a significant improvement in processing times, with expedited processing down to 5 working days from the previous 7 working days. Regular processing is also now 10 working days from 12 working days.   The Department pf Foreign Affairs Office for Consular Affairs also saw a surge in apostilles issued in 2022 to 2023, with a notable 596,085 and 532,994 respectively. These figures are close to the 667,928 issued in 2019. An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document. It is issued by a country that is party to the Apostille Convention to be used in another country which is also a party to the Convention.   As for Philippine visas, 217,265 were issued to foreign nationals in 2023, a huge jump from the 82,260 in 2022. However, this is still far from the 2019 figures of 1.623 million. Top visa-issuing Philippine foreign service posts as of December 2023 include many cities in China and India, with only one foreign service post each from UAE and Nigeria:   1. Guangzhou (China) 2. Shanghai (China) 3. Beijing (China) 4. Chongqing (China) 5. Chennai (India) 6. New Delhi (India) 7. Xiamen (China) 8. Mumbai (India) 9. Dubai (UAE) 10. Abuja (Nigeria)   The DFA-OCA is also developing an e-visa system that was piloted in China. However, this was suspended in order to streamline and improve the process further before it is resumed.<div> </div>

Passports issued in 2023 reached 3.179 million, which is only a million less than the 2019 figure of 4.095 million.

Passports issued in 2023 reached 3.179 million, which is only a million less than the 2019 figure of 4.095 million.