If you have been one of the many applicants who had to fall in line in order to get a new birth certificate, here’s a new development for you.
Senator Ralph Recto has filed a bill that seeks the lifetime validity of such document.
However, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) clarified that the current birth certificate has no expiration date.
In a separate statement issued by Daniel Ariaso Sr., Deputy National Statistician, Civil Registration and Central Support Office, he said that those government agencies or private institutions asking for new birth certificates have their own reasons why they needed a new one.
He added that PSA also has no control over institutions who wish to require new documents.
On the other hand, Recto emphasized that he believes offices would stop asking new birth certificates if there’s a law conferring its lifetime validity.
He added that asking a new birth certificate from applicants would be “costly” and would take time.
Currently, PSA asks a P155 fee for every authenticated copy of a birth certificate. Birth certificates coming from PSA are printed on security papers or SECPA.
Most of those who ask for birth certificates are companies that have newly-hired employees. Government agencies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) require new passport applicants to submit a new authenticated copy of birth certificates.
However, for those who will just renew their passport, DFA no longer requires the submission of a new birth certificate. Instead, one only needs to submit one if it is for the following reasons:
-Renewal applications for lost and mutilated passports;
-Renewal applications requiring changes in the passport entries;
-Renewal applications of old brown and green passports bearing no complete middle name:
-Applicants included in the Department’s Watchlist
