The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is widening its presence to other countries, with VFS Global as its trusted partner.
The announcement came on the sidelines of the renewal of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the Outsourcing of the Non-Sensitive, Non-Discretionary and Non-Complex Elements of Passport Renewal between DFA and VFS Global.
The partnership, according to DFA, has helped it increase Filipino presence in the Middle East in a cost-effective manner.
The DFA-VFS alliance, as previously, will cover areas under the jurisdiction of Philippine Foreign Service Posts in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido J. Dulay, who was the signatory on behalf of the DFA, said that a global outsourcing champion like VFS Global has helped the department process a total of 71,024 passport renewals via its VFS Global’s ePassport Renewal Center (PaRC) since it was established in November 2019 to December 2020. “All this at zero cost to the Philippine government,” he said.
Undersecretary Dulay asserted that the services offered by VFS Global supplemented and complemented the range of consular services offered by Philippine Foreign Service Posts, including passport renewals, which is the main reason it plans to expand to other countries.
Christopher John Dix, representing VFS Global, reiterated that the company will continue to offer impressive services to Filipino nationals renewing their passports in the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The DFA and VFS Global first signed the MOA providing for the establishment of PaRCs in November 2019.
PaRCs serve as alternative application centers for Filipinos who wish to renew their Philippine passports in the UAE and Saudi Arabia – the two countries in the Middle East with the highest concentration of Filipino workers.
