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Thursday, August 18, 2011

HOWTO: Renew Your Philippine Passport (Kuala Lumpur)



NEW, UPDATED PROCESS ON HOW TO RENEW YOUR PHILIPPINE PASSPORT HERE.








my passport with the receipts and oec
Yesterday was a Public Holiday in Selangor, and to make the most of the holiday I made a couple of trips the whole day around KL to prepare for my trip back home in a couple of weeks.

First agenda and subject of this post is the renewal of my passport which expires sometime in February 2012.

It is my fervent wish that this guide makes your life a little easier if you're in the same situation as me. 




- NOTE For those who just got married here in KL -



A reader sent in this tip for those who just got married here in KL and wish to do passport renewal, you'd need to do a couple of prerequisites before you can renew your passport. (sucks, but this is how the Philippine Government works for now)

If you have just married and plan to apply for a new passport at the Philippine embassy for your Philippine spouse, beware that you must first "register" your marriage with the embassy.  You are supposed to do that anyway within 30 days of your marriage. To do this you will need:

The original plus 4 copies of the Malaysian marriage certificate. This must be "authenticated" by the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign affairs (after the marriage.)  So bring your marriage certificate to the Ministry and expect to spend 40 RM and waste a morning to get it done. If you just got married then you already know where this place is.


4 copies of you and your spouses passport (or IC card if you are a Malaysian.)  I think just the first page is okay and a copy of any work permit, multiple entry visas, or residence permit pages within the passport.  Also, your last departure and re entry pages in the passport.


4 passport photos EACH, color with blue background.


4 copies of "legal capacity to contract marriage" if you had to get that form in order to get married. Example - you are under 25 years old.


96.25 RM Payment.


You will then have to fill out a form, "Report of marriage."  Perhaps you can find one on the internet so you can do it before you arrive. Here is a link we found as of this date.


http://philembassy.no/sites/default/files/downloads/rom_form_oslo_pe.pdf


Fill it out, make three copies and do original signatures on all four copies.


After you have submitted all this paperwork and paid the fee, you can then file for the passport renewal.  Good Luck and be patient!


-- Thanks for the tip(which took too long for me to add), you know who you are.


- The Requirements - 

Prior to making the trip to the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur make sure you have the following with you:



  1. ePassport Form, download it here.
  2. Your Passport.
  3. Cash for ePassport fee (231 MYR)
  4. Photocopy of the first page of your passport
  5. Photocopy of the page where the visa / working permit is stamped
  6. (OPTIONAL) Photocopy of your employment contract, if employed
    (OPTIONAL+ to have the employment contract notarized by a Malaysian Notary Public)
Now that you have all the requirements, you can allot half a day for the whole process and do take note of the following:

Embassy hours: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, Monday to Friday.
Attire: No slippers, sandos or shorts.

Also, it would be wise to look your best (no eyebags, no zits, hair spray, hair net) on the day you decide to have your passport renewed, as you will be photographed once you're done with payment. Don't wear any earrings or jewelry though as the operator asked me to remove them if I had them on me.

-The Process-

Make your way to the embassy. Directions are here.

NOV 9, 2012 UPDATE: The embassy layout might be different than when I wrote this guide, there is now air conditioning in the waiting area and I think the counter now reads ePassport or something. And I think the passport room is in Counter 6 (where they get your picture taken, etc.)

JANUARY 8, 2013 UPDATE: Kindly don't forget to read up on the official website of the Philippine Embassy in KL with regards to passport renewal here.

Also, the embassy's official Facebook page is PhlEmbassyKL.


Once at the gate of the embassy, wait a few minutes for other people who haven't memorized their passport numbers or their phone numbers fumble.

It's your turn to fill up the logbook -- Hurray! Start with your (1) Name (2) Full Address (3) Phone Number (4) Passport Number (5) What's your purpose in life going to the embassy (6) Time In

And please note the last column is not a signature column, but rather a "time out" column which you are not expected to fill up after you leave.

Open the steel gate, take out your wallet and bring out any photo id you can find inside your wallet -- give this to the security guard, he will give you a "Visitor" Id.

If you were looking at one of the signs while waiting for  slowpokes who were filling up the logbook, you'll see that they want you to pin the "Visitor" Id on your chest area -- not on the sleeves nor the lower part of your shirt. For me, I pinned it on my collar.

Go down into the driveway into the place where there are lots of chairs and people waiting, then look for the counter for "Passport". For those who are lazy to read, if you are facing the chairs, it's the group of windows on your left -- 3rd from the left. ( Receiving/Releasing | Visa, etc. | Passport, etc. | Empty window with no sign)

Give all the required documents to the person by the window (ang babae/lalake sa bintana) or wait for the person to appear.

If there is no problem with your documents, they'll point you to the cashier window which is a few steps to the right. 

Say goodbye to your 231 RM and give it to the cashier, who will staple all your documents and give you a small piece of paper that you must not lose no matter what

Then make your way to the ePassport room, wait for your turn/number (it's scribbled on top of your documents, something like AM/PM 999,999,999). If there's no queue  by the door, don't be so happy as there may be a couple of people before you sitting by the chairs waiting for their turn.

There will be nobody calling out numbers, but best to look for the number after you then make friends with him/her and tell him/her that you are number 999,999,999 and he/she is 1,000,000,000 so you are in front of him/her.

Once inside the room, there's another chair where you can put your belongings. Give the documents to the operator of the computer. While He/She types a few things, make sure your hair and face is all pweetty and nice because in a few minutes he/she will then take a photo of you using a Canon digital camera .

After the photo session, right thumb into the biometric scanner followed by left thumb then signature on the small rectangular thingie with some pen attached to it (NOTE: do not use the ball-pen that's near you to write on the rectangular thingie)

He/She then prints a sheet of paper, containing all your info with your picture and signature -- verify everything is correct then sign again at the lower right corner (NOTE: pretend you read the thing that is usually printed before the signature field).

He/She returns your passport with the 2 receipts stapled to it and instructs you to call the embassy in 2 months. Get your things from the other chair and leave after saying "Thank You" to the embassy personnel.

Hope this very long "HOWTO" helps you. :)


40 comments:

  1. Did you get your passport back in two months?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Got my passport on October 10, 2011. So yeah, roughly 2 months. :)

      Delete
  2. Hello there! I have questions here. My passport will be expired on June 2013 while my working pass will be up until March 2013. My agency will have my contract renewed maybe around Feb 2013. Will I have any issues in getting a new working pass as I may get my new passport after 2 months? Can they still use my current passport to get a working pass since it will expire on June 2013? Just bothered here. Many thanks in advance! godspeed.
    -Caleb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Caleb,

      For sure you can still use your passport while waiting for your new one in two months time, the only question would be if the Malaysia immigration will accept an expiring passport for renewal. Since yours will be expiring in 4 months time and the renewal would probably be for 1-2 years, I'm leaning to think Malaysia immigration will not accept the expiring passport for renewal.

      Best option for you would be to renew it before the Christmas break (since you can still use your old passport anyway) so you get the new passport by February. That way, your agency will not make 2 trips to immigration (transfer of working pass, renewal).

      Hope this helps!

      Delete
    2. Thanks for your response. Just an update, my colleague just renewed his passport last Nov and he was able to get it after 30 days. :) Hopefully same thing goes to me.

      Delete
    3. That's nice to hear. Hope you get yours in 30 days as well :)

      Delete
  3. Ur blog really helps..thanks gor posting it..

    ReplyDelete
  4. By the way will they provide the epassport form if ever I would not download it on the net?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They should have it there with them as well. :)

      Delete
  5. Hi There, I am going to Embassy next week for renewal of my passport and getting marriage to non-Filipino at the same time. My working visa will expire on January 2013 and my passport is on May 2013,4 months after expiration of my Working Visa. Do you think they will allow me to renew my passport while doing my marriage to them? Thank you and Merry Christmas in advance!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi!

      I'm not sure of the process with getting married here in KL (never been married, hehe). So don't really know if they will allow or not along with the renewal.

      But on the matter of your working visa expiring on January 2013, I'm on the fence whether it will be accepted for renewal by immigration specially since your passport expires in May. I'm not confident i'm going to give you the best advise, best to ask your employer/agency more (as I recall you should be renewing your working permit/visa 2-3 months before the expiry).

      I understand since it's 15 days to Christmas and renewing the visa this near to Christmas is not entirely good (if you're going home for the holidays)

      Delete
  6. One more thing, which address they are looking for. Working address or house address here in Malaysia?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For the complete address part, I put in my house address in Malaysia. There's another field for "Work Address" in the e-passport form. :)

      Delete
  7. Hi Estelito, do I need to set an appointment prior to going to the Phil. Embassy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello, you don't need to set an appointment, just proceed to the embassy with the required documents and you're good to go :)

      Delete
    2. Thank you very much for the info. God bless! :-)

      Delete
    3. You're welcome, glad to be of help. Btw, don't forget to like the embassy's official facebook page!

      Delete
  8. Hi sir, I plan to renew my passport, how long will it take to process the renewal? will it be mailed to my address via courier or should I come back to the embassy after a month or two? Also, could you kindly give directions going to the embassy. I'll be coming from Puduraya Bus Terminal, can I take the LRT from there and which station must I alight nearest to the embassy? Thank you in advance for your help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, they say it takes 30 days for renewal nowadays. I haven't heard of a courier option, but for my case and all the others I know, we went back to the embassy when the new passports were ready. For the courier option, I think it's best you bring it up if you go for renewal, maybe they do special cases but I am leaning towards the security issues if it is couriered.

      For the bus route, you can use the LRT. In the machines select KLCC (nearest LRT). Go in from the Plaza Rakyat station, alight as Masjid Jamek and proceed to the underground platforms to go to KLCC.

      Alternative would be to take the new GoKL buses (free buses). Take the Purple bus from Kota Raya (opposite the shopping complex) alight at The Weld to transfer to the Green Bus and alight at KLCC.

      Once in KLCC, walk towards the KLCC Convention center itself, the embassy would be a few blocks behind Traders Hotel.

      Delete
    2. Thanks a bunch sir for giving some of your precious time answering my questions, Mabuhay ka! God bless you!

      Delete
  9. hi sir, is there a courier here in penang for the passport renewal? if so, can you pls. send me the companys name.thank a lot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Sorry po I don't know if there is a courier option for the passport renewal in Malaysia. You may try to call the embassy at +(603) 2148-9989 or try and send them a message in Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhlembassyKL (although don't know if they reply via the facebook account)

      Delete
  10. Hello, my passport will expire in January 2 2014. I just want to know if i can renew it now, January 2013?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rina, i don't know if there's a minimum months remaining before you can apply for a new passport. Seems a waste of 1 year(actually 6 months, since they expect us to renew 6 months from expiry) of passport validity if you renew it now. You can confirm with the embassy at +603 2148 9989 to confirm with them. :)

      Delete
  11. Good morning sir, i have a problem i lost my reciept, i renew my passport last dec.What shall I do. thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually asked that a long time ago when I got the receipt itself but forgot the answer to it already :( You may try to give the embassy a call at +603 2148 9989.

      Delete
  12. Thank you Sir. I call embassy so many times but no one pick up the phone. thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. try this number: +(603) 2148-4233 ext 116

      Delete
  13. Morning Sir. May know whether we MUST have a valid employment contract? What is the valid employment contract actually? Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Masrita,

    For Filipinos working here in Malaysia who want to renew their passport, a copy of the employment contract between the worker and the employer along with the copy of the work permit is needed.

    For valid employment contract, this usually means that it is under a format that is set by the Philippine government.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks for giving us some tips on passport renewal. For our kababayans, do take note not to park in front of the embassy, unless somebody is staying in the car. That road is frequented by DBKL/police to issue summons. Almost every hour I think ay bumabalik. I hope our embassy also gives some reminders to our kababayans.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad my post was able to give you some pointers :) Better park in the nearby parking lots (around 2-3 blocks away) if you will be at the embassy for a long time.

      Delete
  16. Good evening Sir,
    meron lang sana akong itanong, paano po ba mag apply nang invitation letter sa Phil embassy KL , kasih my family gusto mag bisita dito, pwede ba online nalang dahil sa Sabah po kasih yung bahay namin... salamat po sana'y matolongan mo ako.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Sorry for being so delayed for my answer. For sabah, the Philippine embassy has some agents there for consular services, best for you to call the embassy directly to inquire on who to go for the invitation letter since you are in sabah.

      I think this applies to you as well, a recent post by the embassy on the facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/PhlembassyKL/posts/513538098703170

      Delete
  17. Hello..
    paano po gawin ang lost passport...
    pero ang work visa expired narin..
    Ang book Oct 2013 magExpired..

    Can teach me what to do please..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. For lost passport, the requirements are listed here: http://www.philembassykl.org.my/main/index.php/consular-services/passport/replacement-of-lost-passport

      Punta na lang po kayo ng embassy with the requirements na meron kayo, malamang eto po mga required bago kayo pumunta ng embassy:
      1. Police Report (kuha kayo sa malapit na Police station)
      2. Photocopy of Lost Passport
      3. Statutory Declaration from the Sponsor (if visa expired/no visa)
      4. Employment Contract

      Yung ibang form I think sa embassy nyo na sya fill up.

      Ang process ng lost passport mejo iba sa normal, may waiting period (I think 2-3 weeks) extra once na submit nyo na yung application.

      Delete
  18. Hello Sir, question regarding passport renewal. My passport will expire Oct. 3, 2013 & I am currently here in Kampar for training. Our pricipal Headquartered here in Malaysia will apply for an extension of training visa this April 2013.Will I have problems in the visa if I apply for passport renewal before my current passport expires? Also will the visa effectivity will be carried over to the new passport? Thanks & more power to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you apply for renewal, your old passport will still be valid while you wait for the renewal passport. However for the extension of training visa, I think you would need to verify with PH Embassy with your case since for the visa renewal this is with Malaysian Immigration, they would have their own set of rules (like remaining passport validity periods, etc) which I do not know :(

      With the Visa carrying over to the new passport: Yes, once you get the renewal passport your agency/employer should initiate a visa transfer from the old passport to the new one.

      Delete

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