Following the full-blast operation of its new Office of Consular Affairs (OCA) head office in Parañaque City earlier this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Saturday that it is ready to issue epassports in the provinces through its 10 Regional Consular Offices (RCOs) starting this Monday.

The e-passport has security features, including a tamper-proof electronic microchip, which stores passport holder's photograph and personal information; an Automated Fingerprint Identification System, which guards against identity theft and fraud; overt and hidden security features such as invisible personal information, letter-screen, microprinting, and UV reactive ink; and enhanced machine readable features using biometric technology.

The DFA said out of the 10 RCOs, four will implement the e-passport services in Luzon while three RCOs each will implement the e-passport services in the Visayas and Mindanao.

In Luzon, passport applicants may apply for the e-passport starting Monday in DFA’s regional consular offices in San Fernando, Pampanga; Lucena, Quezon; Tuguegarao, Cagayan; and San Fernando, Pampanga.

Visayas RCOs namely in Cebu City, Iloilo City and Tacloban City, Leyte will begin to offer e-passport services on Monday. RCOs in Mindanao – those in Davao City, Cagayan de Oro City and Zamboanga City – will do the same on Monday.

The DFA currently has a total of 18 regional consular offices. It said the remaining eight RCOs will implement its e-passport services later this year.

“The remaining eight out of the 18 RCOs and all Philippine embassies and consulates-general will be issuing e-passports later this year,” the DFA said Saturday.

The DFA said with this development, passport applicants in the regions need not travel to Manila to get a passport.

The DFA opened to the public last March 8 its new Office of Consular Affairs Building, located near the Mall of Asia, decongesting its main office on Roxas Blvd. in Pasay City. However, only those with confirmed appointments will be accommodated. The appointment system is done online (www.passport.com.ph) or by calling the DFA hotline: (02) 737-1000. They may also call the DFA helplines at telephone numbers (02) 831-8971, (02) 551-4437, (02) 551-4402, (02) 834-4855 and (02) 834-4424.

The DFA has seven recently opened RCOs located in Butuan, Bacolod, Batangas City, Baguio, Puerto Princesa, General Santos and Cotabato City. The other RCOs are in San Fernando in La Union, Tuguegarao, San Fernando in Pampanga, Lucena, Legaspi, Iloilo City, Cebu City, Tacloban, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro and Davao.

According to DFA Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Renato Villapando, regular passport processing is pegged at P950 and can be claimed after 14 working days while overtime or expedited processing amounts to P1,200 for a seven-day period. Replacement of lost valid passport will be charged an additional P200.

The DFA issues about 3,000 to 4,000 passports every day at its main office with more than two million passports issued to individuals in November 2009. There are now more than 18,000 e-passport holders since the e-passport was launched in August 2009.