EXTENSION OF VALIDITY OF PHILIPPINE PASSPORTS

03 February 2022 – In view of the recent instructions from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy wishes to inform the concerned Philippine nationals in Switzerland and Liechtenstein that the consular fee for extension of the validity of regular passport is now CHF25.00.

The concerned public is further informed that the one (1) year extension of the validity of a regular Philippine passport is counted from the date of extension and not from the expiry date as indicated in the passport data page.

The authority conferred by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to the Embassy to extend the passport validity of a Philippine passport is in effect until further notice and can only be done by the Philippine Embassy under meritorious reasons. It is only a remedial measure to accommodate Filipinos with urgent/impending travel or has an emergency need to possess a valid Philippine passport. This policy of extending the validity is made only in light of the prevailing public health emergency condition and can be processed upon submission of a signed Waiver.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires its Member States to replace, rather than extend expiring machine-readable travel documents. Hence, the use of passports with extended validity may result in the delay or even refusal of entry or boarding by the immigration/border authorities or airlines.

As this is only a remedial measure, it is incumbent on the passport holder to inquire with the relevant authorities on the acceptability of the passport with extended validity. Hence, all those who will avail themselves of the extension will be required to execute a waiver that they are aware of the attendant ramifications in using passports with extended validity. The waiver form may be downloaded from: https://bernepe.dfa.gov.ph/images/Waiver-Passport_Extension.rev1_1.pdf.

Only passports which are still valid may be extended. Those with expired Philippine passports may be issued a one-way travel document, to be used to travel directly to the Philippines.

All concerned Philippine citizens are gently reminded to renew their passports well in advance before the expiration of the validity to avoid inconvenience. All applications for passport (new and renewal) must be accompanied with complete requirements.

Please be guided accordingly.