RIYADH — The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh said it rolled out the upgraded Philippine passport with a 10-year validity on Jan. 3.

In addition to the Saudi capital, Filipinos in Al-Jouf, Arar and other cities of northern Saudi Arabia also applied for the 10-year passport during the Embassy on Wheels held in Al-Jouf on Jan. 5-6.

Under Republic Act 10928, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Aug. 2, 2017, the validity of regular/ordinary passports will have a validity of 10 years for Filipino citizens who are 18 years old and above and five years for those who are below 18.

Both passports will use the current Philippine electronic passport booklets without any change in design, security features and number of pages. There are no changes in the passport application fees.

Five-year validity passports issued prior to Jan. 1, shall remain valid until their expiration date, the embassy said in a statement. — SG