- The DFA wants to delay the fee increase until the next-generation passport launches in mid-2028.
- Regular domestic passport processing stays at ₱950 while the proposed replacement rate is ₱1,500.
- APO Production Unit says current pricing may no longer cover production, prompting the request for a higher fee.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is seeking to delay a proposed Philippine passport fee increase until the next-generation passport arrives in mid-2028. The regular domestic processing fee remains ₱950, while the suggested replacement rate is ₱1,500.
No new fee has been approved as of September 19, 2026. The current expedited processing charge remains ₱1,200.
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Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa P. Lazaro raised the issue during a Senate budget hearing on Friday, September 18, 2026. She said the department had asked the government printer behind passport production to defer the adjustment.
The request ties the fee decision to the next passport generation. That rollout is expected in mid-2028.
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito discussed the proposal at the hearing. He cited the existing regular fee and the requested new rate as lawmakers examined the department’s budget and passport operations.
The proposed amount is not yet an implementation order. It remains a pricing request linked to passport production costs.
The fee proposal would affect regular processing, not the current expedited rate
| Passport service | Current fee | Proposed fee |
|---|---|---|
| Regular domestic processing | 950 pesos | 1,500 pesos |
| Expedited processing | 1,200 pesos | No change specified |
The proposal would therefore raise the regular charge by 550 pesos if approved. The research on the proposal does not identify a separate new expedited rate.
The government printer says current pricing no longer covers passport production
APO Production Unit has produced Philippine ePassports since 2015. The printer reportedly told the department that it may not be able to sustain production at the existing price.
The request seeks a higher rate to sustain passport production costs. One account says the printer warned that printing could stop unless the fee rose to 1,500 pesos.
That warning is the operational pressure behind the proposed adjustment. The department, however, is asking the printer to wait until the new passport is introduced.
The requested delay would connect any price change to a new passport product rather than applying it immediately to the current document. The next-generation rollout is expected in 2028.
A three-year restriction is driving the request for a delay
The Department of Foreign Affairs has cited the Philippine Passport Act in opposing an immediate adjustment. The law is being cited as limiting passport fee increases within three years.
That provision is one reason the department wants postponement. The requested timetable would move the decision toward the launch of the new passport in mid-2028.
Lazaro said the department asked the printer to defer the increase until that launch. The proposal therefore faces both a pricing question and a timing question under the passport law.
The legal issue does not establish a new fee. Until the department or another authorized body approves an adjustment, the existing charges remain in place.
Discount details remain unsettled in the proposal
The material available on possible concessions for overseas Filipino workers and senior citizens contains two versions. One account describes a discount of ₱300 for those groups.
Another account says overseas Filipino workers could pay ₱1,200 under the proposal. Those figures describe possible treatment under the requested rate, not an approved schedule.
The distinction matters at the payment counter. A discount expressed as a fixed amount would produce a different charge from a proposal naming a specific group rate.
No final discount structure accompanies the unapproved increase. The department’s request to delay the adjustment leaves those details tied to a later decision.
Lazaro’s stated target is the next-generation passport launch in 2028. Until then, domestic applicants continue under the existing fee schedule, while the printer’s request remains under review.
