Passport Renewal at the DFA Consular Office in Ali Mall, Cubao

Today, Patrick, Dylan and I went to the DFA Consular Office in Ali Mall Cubao to have Patrick's passport renewed.  He's anticipating an out of the country trip in March and he needs a renewed passport just to be safe.  So, he booked an appointment online through the DFA Ali Mall Consular office website and proceeded to his chosen branch (Ali Mall) on the day he was assigned.

It's not so hard to find the DFA processing area because it's at the 2nd Level of the Ali Mall in Cubao. You can find it together with other government satellite offices like PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG, DTI, SSS, and PhilPost. The NBI and LTO offices are "soon to open".

We arrived at the DFA and there was a line forming outside.  Patrick fell in line because he was right on time for his appointment, although he did confirm first with the guard just to be sure.  From what we saw, there were probably 300-500 passport applicants inside all waiting for their turn.  

Waiting Time:  10 minutes to fall in line and get inside.

  

Step 1. Processing.  This is where you will present all your required supporting documents.  It's imperative that you make sure you have everything you need and double check them.  For a list of the required documents, here is the link to the DFA Passport Appointment System in Ali Mall.  I think the processing was taking so long because there were only 2 processing windows open to take care of all those waiting applicants.  One is reserved for Senior Citizens, PWD's and infants.
Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Step 2.  Payment - On the far left of the picture above, you'll see the Cashier window.  After your papers have been checked and approved, you will then proceed to the Cashier for payment of your passport.  Patrick paid P1,200 for his renewed passport because he chose the Express Processing which takes only 10 working days.  Regular Processing takes 20 working days and will cost P950.  The fees are basically the same whether you're renewing or getting a new one.  But for more information, you can check this link.  The date below indicates when you're going to claim your passport.
Time:  10 minutes

Step 3. Encoding. - This is where all your information is encoded into the system.  Like in the previous steps, you wait for your turn at the windows.  This line seemed to move faster than the processing because there were four (4) windows open to handle the applicants.  It must have been because it was after lunch so everyone was back on the job.
Time:  1 hour and 10 minutes

Step 4. Delivery Counter. - This is an optional step for those who want to have their passports delivered straight to their homes or offices for convenience.  You need only pay the applicable delivery fees at the delivery counter and then you're done.  Delivery charges will depend on your location.

So that's it for Renewing your Passport.  While Patrick was at the DFA, Dylan and I spent our time walking around the mall until we got tired and just settled onto our seats at the Food Court near the Consular Office.

If you need more information, you can check out the Ali Mall DFA Consular Office website here.  Hope this helps.