2016-08-05
The Philippine Consulate General wishes to inform the public that effective 01 October 2016, this Office shall no longer accept non-machine readable passports and travel documents from all visa applicants. This is in view of the 24 November 2015 deadline set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for the phasing-out of non-machine readable passports and travel documents. This notice applies to all types of non-machine readable passports including ordinary, official, diplomatic, and/or service documents, except for temporary travel documents designed for emergency situations as per ICAO guidelines.
It is therefore suggested that all future applicants switch to machine readable or electronic passports or travel documents by 01 October 2016 before applying for a visa.
Subsequently, the Philippine Bureau of Immigration (BI) shall no longer allow the entry of foreign nationals holding non-machine readable passports and travel documents in all international airports and seaports in the Philippines by the 1st quarter of 2017.