SM City Olongapo Downtown Asst. Mall Manager Michelle Charlene Chua(R) and Chester Omaga Diaz, head of Consular Office in San Fernando Pampanga spearheaded the ceremonial ribbon cutting of DFA Temporary Off-site Passport Service(TOPS) site in SM City Olongapo Downtown recently. The opening of TOPS-Olongapo is the start of the DFA’s project to roll-out regional TOPS operations.
The Department of Foreign Affairs Consular Office has recently launched its Temporary Off-site Passport Service (TOPS) site at SM City Olongapo Downtown to address the high demand for passport processing.
DFA Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said in a virtual briefing that the opening of temporary sites will address the current backlog in passport processing.
He said that current TOPS sites are already in operation and are located at SM Mall of Asia, SM City North Edsa, SM Aura, Robinsons Place Las Piñas, and Robinsons Place Magnolia.
Additional temporary sites outside Metro Manila including Olongapo, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal were opened to provide passport services in regions where there is also a high demand for passport services.
DFA-TOPS Olongapo has the following features:
1. Because this TOPS is not configured to handle complicated applications, only straightforward passport renewal applications are accepted – no new/ first-time applications, no renewal which require change/correction of name, no renewal of lost passports.
2. No walk-in applicants will be accepted. All appointments must be booked online via www.passport.gov.ph. The online appointment system (OAS) is on first-come, first-served basis. Please have your current passport ready when making an appointment.
3. Appointments booked at TOPS Olongapo are non-transferable and cannot be rescheduled. If an applicant wishes to make any changes after obtaining their TOPS appointment, the existing TOPS appointment must first be cancelled. A new appointment can then be booked and paid.
4. Because there is no cashier at this TOPS, all payments must be made during the online appointment booking process. Cards or e-wallets should be readied prior to the registration. Only charges shown during the online booking process are to be paid. No other fee will be paid on-site at TOPS Olongapo, nor should applicants pay extra fees to obtain an appointment.
5. All passports will be released via courier only, therefore, applicants must agree to have their current passport cancelled on-site. Those who do not wish to have their passport cancelled prior to receiving their new passport must not apply at TOPS Olongapo.
6. There is no expedited processing at TOPS Olongapo. Processing time for passports is between 12-15 working days. The delivery of passports via courier will add 3-5 working days to the passport turnaround time.
7. Applicants who booked at TOPS Olongapo who do not meet the requirements of a straightforward passport application and / or who do not agree to its procedures (i.e. cancellation of passport on-site) will not be processed. No request for refund nor change of passport processing site will be entertained.
The opening of TOPS-Olongapo is the start of the DFA’s project to roll-out regional TOPS operations.
DFA-TOPS Olongapo is under the supervision of the DFA Consular Office in San Fernando, Pampanga; TOPS is from Monday to Friday, 9:00AM to 5:00PM at SM City Olongapo Downtown Cinema 2.
