During the first half of the 20th century, what is now the modern Republic of the Philippines was a territory (and later a commonwealth) of the United States. Because of this long shared history, many Filipinos choose to live and work in the United States, especially in Hawaii and California. If you are a Philippine passport holder working overseas, you must take care to keep your passport and visa up to date.
Here are a few things you need to know about Philippine passport renewal in California.
We will guide you through:
It must be done in person
You cannot renew your Philippine passports by mail, and you cannot apply online. If you are in the United States, you must present yourself in person at the appropriate Philippine Consulate General. Please remember everyone else in the family who may require a new passport, too: the children, the grandparents and everyone in between. If you have a large family, this can be quite a daunting task!
To make it as easy as possible, take care to have all your supplemental documents collected together for inspection by the consulate staff. Examples of the kinds of additional documents you might need are: birth certificate, adoption records, photo ID, marriage certificate, divorce decree, name change decrees, death certificates for widowed applicants, and your old, expired (or soon-to-be-expired) passport.
Remember, too, to bring along high-quality photocopies of all of those supporting documents for the consulate to keep. While copy services may be available nearby, the consulate will not make copies for you. Bring your own pen, in black or blue ink. If you’re paying with cash, please bring the correct amount.
Passport nearing its expiry date? Get ahead of the game and up to speed by reading:
- How to Renew a Philippine Passport in the U.S.?
- How Early Can You Renew Your Passport as per the U.S. Department of State
- Renew U.S. Passport – Your Ultimate Guide for Adult Renewals
- How to Renew Your Hong Kong Passport
- How to Get a Passport in Oklahoma
- How to Get a Passport in Nebraska
- How to Get a Passport in Oregon?
In addition to the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., the Republic of the Philippines has a dozen other Philippine Consulates General within the United States. Which one you need to go to depends on where you live. Two of these consulates are in California, and California handles a lot of other states as well. You need to go to the location that has “consular jurisdiction” over your state or county.
Los Angeles
The Consulate General of the Philippines in Los Angeles has consular jurisdiction in Southern California (including Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and the counties of Imperial, Riverside and Kern). It also has consular jurisdiction over Southern Nevada (Clark County, Lincoln County and Nye County). And the Los Angeles consulate has jurisdiction over the entire state of Arizona (all counties).
If you live in any of these counties, you must go to the Consulate General of the Philippines in Los Angeles. The office address is 3435 Wilshire Blvd #550, Los Angeles, CA 90010, USA.
(Note: the Los Angeles consulate formerly had jurisdiction over Texas and New Mexico, too, but not anymore. As of 2018, the Consulate General of the Philippines in Houston is back open again, handling Texas and New Mexico as well as Arkansas, Mississippi and Oklahoma.)
San Francisco
The Consulate General of the Philippines in San Francisco has consular jurisdiction in Northern California (including Fresno, Napa, Oakland, Palo Alto, Pittsburg, Sacramento, San Jose, San Mateo, Stockton, Union City and Vallejo counties).
It also has consular jurisdiction over Northern Nevada (including the counties of Carson, Churchill, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lyon, Mineral, Pershing, Reno, Storey, Washoe and White Pine counties).
In addition, the San Francisco consulate also has jurisdiction over the states of Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. If you live in any of these states, you must plan to travel to the Consulate General of the Philippines in San Francisco. The office address is 447 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94108, USA.
Outreach programs
If you can’t go to the consulate, maybe the consulate will come to you. You might be able to take advantage of the outreach programs both of these consulates operate. Check their schedule online, then make an appointment. Consular staff go around to the different cities within their jurisdiction and take care of handling passport and visa renewals.
It can certainly be much easier than making the trip to San Francisco or Los Angeles—especially if you live in Alaska! The schedules for these outreach events tend to be irregular, and they do fill up quickly. They are targeted at populations which have serious difficulty with making a trip to California, such as nursing home residents. These are not house calls, by the way: you must personally appear at their pop-up office location.
Passport photographs
Do not bring your own passport photos. The consulate will take the passport picture for you, which is a mixed blessing. On one hand, this is one less thing you need to worry about—but on the other hand, you no longer have control over what your picture will look like. So look sharp.
Make sure you’re ready for your close-up by wearing a nice shirt with sleeves and a collar: no spaghetti straps for the ladies, no athletic tank tops for the men. If you wear facial piercings, you’ll need to remove those in advance, as they are not permitted in the picture. You’ll also have to take off your glasses.
How much you’ll pay
It’s going to cost you $60 USD per passport application. You can pay in cash, but do not expect the consulate to make change. Bring the correct amount with you. They will also accept a cashier’s check or a postal money order, but not personal checks or travelers checks, and no credit cards or debit cards.
How to receive your passport
Your passport will be mailed to you. At this time, there is no other way to get your passport. Furthermore, it is up to you, the customer, to supply your own mailing supplies. Bring a stamped, self-addressed envelope with you, either from the US postal service (express or priority mail) or from the private courier shipping company of your choice, such as FedEx.
Start early
Check your passport’s expiration date, and remember that you should begin the renewal process six to nine months before it actually expires. Many Filipinos working overseas elect to renew their passports when they are back in their home country on an extended vacation. But since it takes six to twelve weeks for passport processing, this is not always an option. Luckily, both Los Angeles and San Francisco are great cities to visit.
Perhaps you could schedule your visit to your consulate in California to coincide with a three-day getaway for the family—maybe one day at the consulate, and two days in Disneyland?
FAQ
Do I need an appointment or are walk-ins welcome?
You definitely need an appointment. While the consulates used to welcome walk-ins, due to the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic only applicants who make appointments in advance will be seen. And the outreach service’s pop-up offices have always required appointments.
Can I bring someone with me?
No, only the actual applicants are permitted to come inside the building. Exceptions can be made for minors, who may be accompanied by one parent or an immediate family member; for the elderly, who can have one caretaker; and by people with obvious physical disability, who can bring one person with them to assist. Everyone else is on their own.
Where can I pick up a copy of the Republic of the Philippines passport application form?
The form is available online as a PDF file. You can either print it out and fill it in (with a blue or black pen), or better yet, you can download it and fill it in before you print it so there’s no problem with anyone being able to read your writing.
Bryan is a writer and filmmaker originally from Texas who has sailed around the world. Thanks to his experience in the cruise industry and customer service, he understands what customers feel and needs, and as a result of numerous travels he has specialized in passport photography. Bryan is the author of FOG WATCH published on Amazon.