Mabuhay
He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.
Jose Rizal
Honorary Consulates are not able to process passport applications or renewals. These must be done at full consulates or during a consular outreach event. For more information on the passport process visit: https://pcgsanfrancisco.org/passport/
Consular Outreach 2024: An outreach mission is planned for Colorado in July of 2024 but the details have not been finalized. For the latest information visit: https://pcgsanfrancisco.org/consular-outreach-missions/
Consularizations of SPAs and other documents can only be performed for Filipino Citizens and Dual Citizens.
Per Department of Foreign Affairs regulations, Consularization/Authentication of documents such as Special Powers of Attorney (SPA) can only be done for Filipinos and Dual Citizens. Naturalized American Citizens who have not reacquired their Filipino citizenship can not be accommodated. We apologize for the inconvenience, your remedy is to have the document notarized (at a bank or your place of work) and then submit it to the Colorado Secretary of State to be Apostilled (See https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/apostilles/general.html ).
For Filipinos some proof of your Filipino citizenship is necessary, all clients must bring a current Philippine Passport or your dual citizenship certificates.
We understand that some bureaucrats and other officials in the Philippines still think consulatization is the only way for an overseas form to be accepted but that has not been true since 2019 when the Philippines joined the Apostille convention. The Department of Foreign Affairs addresses the issue at this link: https://dfa-oca.ph/authentication/authentication-faqs/. Perhaps this website will sway those who have to accept an apostilled document. We recognize the inconvenience but the Consulate and DFA are rigorously enforcing this rule and compliance is required.
Travel to the Philippines-eTravel makes it easy and isn’t Covid related any more:
72 hours before you travel you need to register at: https://etravel.gov.ph/. By registering in advance you make the process of clearing through immigration easy – you don’t need to fill out the forms on the plane since the information you entered into eTravel is tied to your passport number.
We traveled there recently and found the process to fast and easy. One note on our experience – the eTravel website indicates that you don’t really need the QR code since immigration can pull it up with your passport number, however, we discovered that the ticket agent for Philippine Airlines did want to see proof that we had registered – fortunately, I had a screen shot of the code and I suggest you ensure you have that confirmation available on the phone.
Consular Services from the San Francisco Consulate
The San Fran Consulate and the Embassy are able to offer many services that the Honorary Consulates cannot so be sure to check them out. The Consulate and Embassy have authored detailed instructions on the requirements and procedures for most of their services so please download and read them carefully. The Consulate’s Web site has changed – so follow this link: https://pcgsanfrancisco.org/services/.
Contacting the Consulate
Colorado is very fortunate to have the Hon. Neil Frank R. Ferrer as its Con Gen. Theough his leasdership, the whole staff works hard to be responsive and helpful. However, they do work best through email. The Consulate is just so busy that contacting them by phone can be frustrating so we suggest, urge, recommend and otherwise plead with you to send the appropriate department and email with your questions. The Consulate has an email for each department and you can find them here: https://pcgsanfrancisco.org/contact-us/ . The breadth of questions that all of the consular outposts receive is huge and it is not possible for any one person to know all the answers. You will be happy if you go to the source by email.
Philippine Honorary Consulate Colorado 