A Note on Philippine Passports

Somebody left this comment anonymously. It's a helpful tip for those who want to travel while they are abroad. This didn't occur to us since we're based in cities that have embassies/consulates. It's also good to keep this in mind for passport renewals. The Philippine Embassy in DC allows mailing renewals but make sure you review the guidelines - and call to confirm! Sometimes the information on the website is incomplete. http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/downloads/PassportDC.pdf

Thank you anonymous!

Note that having a Filipino passport means that you will need to get tourist visas for travel to most countries outside ASEAN and Latin America. This means that students who choose to study in a place that is not the capital of the country will have a difficult time applying for visas, especially as most embassies require a personal appearance for providing a visa.

Philadelphia, Barcelona, Edinburgh, Osaka and Milan may have great universities, but applying for a tourist visa to go elsewhere generally means taking hours-long bus rides and (at least) an overnight stay in the capital.