Six temporary offsite passport services (TOPS) located in malls in Metro Manila will continue to operate until December 2021 to handle increasing passport appointments, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
The six TOPS are located in SM Mall of Asia, SM North EDSA, SM Aura, Robinsons Place Las Pinas, Robinsons Place Magnolia, and Ayala Glorietta 3.
This is to address the demand for additional passport appointment slots, the agency said.
Regional TOPS facilities have also started operating. The department opened its first regional TOPS facility at the SM Olongapo Downtown in Olongapo City on Sept. 1, and at the Robinsons Galleria South in San Pedro, Laguna on Oct. 4.
The opening of regional TOPS aims to cater to passport applicants living outside Metro Manila. The TOPS in San Pedro, Laguna alone can serve 300 applicants daily.
At present, there are seven TOPS operating in Metro Manila and one in Olongapo City, Zambales. The DFA’s TOPS facilities are limited to accepting passport applications and capturing the applicant’s biographical details. Each TOPS is being supervised by a specific DFA Consular Office (CO), and all backend processing is done off-site.
"The Department is also working to open more TOPS sites in other regions of the Philippines to serve more Filipinos living outside Metro Manila who are in need of a passport," the DFA said.
"The Department requests the public’s understanding and cooperation as it strives to deliver efficient and effective passport services to the public while ensuring the public’s safety and health," it added.