Filipinos residing in South Korea may now apply for the Philippine electronic passports, or e-passports, at the Philippine Embassy in Seoul effective 01 August 2010. The ePassport is a highly secured and enhanced Machine Readable Passport. The ePassport system reduces identity theft by storing the biometrics and signature of the passport holder and recording his thumb marks.

As taking the biometrics of the applicant is an additional requirement, processing will take longer than that of the machine-readable passport. In order to streamline the procedure, the Embassy will adopt the appointment system and courier service. Schedule an Appointment For Your sPassport Application Starting 15 July To ensure efficiency and orderly service to the public, only fifty (50) ePassport applications will be entertained per day. An applicant can get an appointment by calling the APPOINTMENT HOTLINE NUMBER 010-9385-0535 and by giving your full name including middle name, date and place of birth, your old passport number and mobile number in South Korea. You can also send an email to epassport@philembassy-seoul.com , and type in your full name including middle name, date and place of birth, your old passport number and mobile number in South Korea. An appointment date will be given to you which is in the morning between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm, Monday to Friday or first Sunday and third Sunday of every month, except on declared Philippine and Korean national holidays. Further, getting an appointment for passport processing is free. Please come exactly at the appointed date and time. Failure to do so will subject the applicant to reapply for a new schedule. Upon completion of the encoding of the passport application, the forms will be sent to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila for processing. The new ePasport will then be sent to the Embassy after six weeks and thereafter mailed to the applicant, if he availed of the courier service. In case of a lost Passport, the applicant will be required to execute an Affidavit of Loss, for submission to the DFA. After the Department has cleared your application, you can get an appointment for application of an ePassport. Processing of a lost passport will take at least two months from the date of submission of the Affidavit of Loss to the Embassy. Delivery Service of ePassport To avoid returning to the Embassy to claim your ePassport, you can avail of the courier service to collect and deliver your passport at your designated address. Only those who can provide a complete return address can avail of the courier service. You will be asked to complete the courier form upon application for ePassport and payment will be collected upon delivery. The consular officer will cancel the old passport and return the same to the applicant . When Courier Service is not Applicable If you cannot provide a complete return address and personal contact numbers, you cannot avail of the courier service. Any error or incorrect address would make the applicant liable to the courier company and cause the return of the undelivered ePassport to the Embassy. If you intend to travel or use your old passport for any other purpose after applying for an ePassport, please inform the consular officer. When to Claim your ePassport in Person The ePassport will be released to the applicant or his authorized representative from 1:30 to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday only. Green Passport Valid until Date of Expiry If you are a holder of the green (manual) or maroon (machine readable) passport, you can still use your passport for travel abroad until the date of expiry. The ePassport fee is US$ 60.00 payable in U.S dollar bill(s). You will be required to pay in US currency upon application.