The Philippine Embassy conducted a consular outreach program on Saturday, 22 September 2018 in the canton of St. Gallen in cooperation with the Samahang Pilipino Swiss, a Filipino Community organization in the canton.

During the outreach, the Embassy provided consular services to Filipinos in the canton and in the surrounding; and processed passport applications, reports of births, and reports of marriage, among others. The Embassy Team also provided free consultations and advice on matters of concern, including on land ownership and judicial recognition in the Philippines of foreign decree of divorce, paternity and filiation, custody of children, inter alia, to Filipinos and Swiss who came to the event. It also replied to questions regarding visas, including Balikbayan visa privilege and non-quota immigrant visas, for Swiss nationals travelling to the Philippines.

The Embassy also conducted a briefing preceding the oath taking of former Filipinos whose petitions to reacquire and/or retain their Filipino citizenship have been approved.

Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) registration and verification of OAV registrations were also conducted onsite.

Passport applicants line up to have their applications processed. Forty nine (49) passport applications were processed in St. Gallen.

(Above photo) A passport applicant lined up to have her biometrics taken, while (below photo) an overseas Filipino avails herself of the OAV registration service provided during the outreach.

                                       (Above photo) Amb. Denis Yap Lepatan met some Filipinos present during the outreach and replied to questions posted about the services extended and the Embassy’s

                                              activities; (below photo). Members of the Filipino Community present during the outreach pose for posterity with Consul General Josephine Reynante