My friend’s dog tore his brand new passport apart, three months before he was scheduled to leave for Singapore. He cried like a little boy while collecting the scraps of paper that was once his primary travel document.
How do you get a replacement for your damaged passport? Read this.
First off, we need to define what damaged passport means. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, your passport is considered damaged or mutilated when:
- The data page or any information on it is torn or damaged to the point of unreadability.
- A damaged passport microchip that is no longer machine-readable.
- One or more pages have been torn out or missing.
- Passport cover no longer attached to the booklet.
- The booklet is unstitched, severely damaged by water, or with visa stamps that have bled out.
- Passport picture is tampered and no longer clear/visible.
If your passport exhibits any of the above descriptions, you can consider it as damaged and therefore, needs to be replaced. The DFA treats the replacement of damaged passports as new applications and so anyone seeking to have a damaged passport replaced must go through the same process as when you are applying for a new one. Here’s how:
- The first thing you need to do is to get an appointment online and pay the corresponding passport fee to confirm your slot.
- Submit a notarized Affidavit of Explanation as to how, when, and where your passport was damaged or mutilated.
- Bring an original and photocopy of the first and last pages of the damaged passport.
- Prepare P350 as a penalty fee for the damaged passport.
You are also encouraged to bring an original copy of your PSA birth certificate especially if your personal details are hardly recognizable in the damaged passport. You can get a copy online and have it delivered to your home at www.psahelpline.ph.
There shall be a 15-day clearing period within which your application will go through verification and your old passport records will be tracked and reviewed.
There you have it. The process and requirements may be a bit different but rest assured that the DFA can have your damaged passport replaced.
Just the same, take care of your passport and other important IDs and documents. Keep them in locked drawers or plastic containers to keep them safe from pets, pests, flood, and maybe even fire. Always have duplicates available in your office as well so you would have a ready reference in case you lose the original ones.
Thanks for dropping by!
References:
MasterCitizen's Blog 