Ambassador opens passport renewal facility in UAE on Philippine Independence Day
- 12 Jun 2020
Philippine Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Hjayceelyn M. Quintana led the inauguration of the Passport Renewal Center (PaRC) at the World Trade Center in Abu Dhabi. The inauguration coincided with the commemoration of Philippine Independence Day, which falls every 12th of June.
This is the second PaRC facility for Philippine passport renewal that is now operational in the United Arab Emirates. The first PaRC facility was opened in the Wafi Mall in Dubai on November 21st 2019 with the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. leading the inauguration.
The two PaRC facilities are operated by VFS Global. VFS Global is the world’s largest visa outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. The establishment of the PaRC facilities in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are based on a Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Foreign Affairs and VFS Global.
“A befitting gift to Filipinos in the UAE on the occasion of Philippine Independence Day is the opening of the PaRC facility in Abu Dhabi. It is also very timely, given the need to reduce travel and observe strict physical distancing and other health protocols during the pandemic,” said Hjayceelyn M. Quintana, Philippine Ambassador to the UAE.
Filipinos now have an alternative location to go for passport renewal aside from the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi. The VFS Global PaRC facility offers the convenience of weekend processing of passport renewal application because it operates on Friday and Saturday in addition to the regular working days from Sunday to Thursday. The facility is open daily from 10am to 6pm.
The new facility will start accepting Philippine passport renewal applications from 14 June 2020 and is located at Level B2, The Mall, World Trade Center, Khalifa Bin Zayed the 1st Street (Airport Road), Abu Dhabi. In line with the precautionary measures taken to curb the spread of Covid-19, appointment scheduling at the VFS Global PaRC facility has been made mandatory temporarily.