The Philippine Embassy in Muscat, Oman released a notice to the public with regards to the updates on Consular Services.
The updates are as follows:
HOURS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
- The opening hours to the public of the Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy are from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Sunday to Thursday, starting on 13 September 2020 (Sunday).
PASSPORT SERVICES
- Passport applicants must book an online appointment.
- The permanent links to the online appointment system for consular services are available on the Embassy’s website (muscatbe.dfa.gov.ph) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/PHLinOman). Appointments may be also booked through this link: https://bit.ly/pe-muscat-consular-appointments.
- Applicants must fill in all mandatory fields and download the required forms to complete their booking. They must also press the confirm button to complete their booking.
- Applicants who used their valid email addresses will receive a confirmation email from the appointment software. Those who did not receive their confirmation email may send an email to the Consular Section (muscatpe.consular@dfa.gov.ph) to check if they successfully booked their appointment and to have their appointment information forwarded to them.
- Passport applicants with confirmed appointments must bring the printed-out confirmation email or show it on their mobile phone when they go to the Embassy for their passport appointment. They may also show the text message they have received from the Philippine Embassy regarding their appointment, especially if their booking has changed.
- Passport applicants must bring the complete requirements when they go to the Embassy. The required forms and other information may be downloaded from the appointment software when the applicant books an appointment. Please bring the originals and photocopies of the requirements.
- It could take between six (6) to eight (8) weeks for the new passports to arrive from the Philippines after application. Passport applicants will receive an SMS from the official Philippine Embassy account informing them when their new passports become available for collection at the Embassy.
OTHER CONSULAR SERVICES
- Only passport services require an online appointment, until further notice. Applicants for non-passport services, such as Special Power of Attorney (SPA), NBI Clearance, Report of Birth, Report of Marriage, etc., may come to the Embassy at any time during opening hours without appointment.
- Applicants do not need an appointment to collect their new passports or other consular documents. They may collect their documents from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Sunday to Thursday, except on public holidays.
ASSISTANCE TO NATIONALS (ATN) SERVICES
- For cases involving physical or sexual abuse, arrest, criminal charges, death of a Filipino national and similar emergencies, contact the ATN hotline (+968) 9988-5073 as soon as possible. For non-emergency cases, please contact the ATN Section at (+968) 2460-5335, 2460-5140, and 2460-5143 during normal office hours.
- Those who wish to meet with the ATN Section to discuss the status of their pending cases or non-urgent concerns may book an appointment through the Assistance to Nationals (ATN) Online Appointment System (https://bit.ly/2vMEtpV).
- For cases involving employment concerns (contract, overtime pay, gratuity, termination, new employment, etc.), Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC), OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) membership, special repatriation flights and similar concerns, please contact the Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Muscat (POLO-Muscat) at email: polomuscat@gmail com, (+968) 9355-7931 or (+968) 7990-5211.
REMINDERS
- Only the following applicants will be allowed inside the consular premises:
- Passport applicants with confirmed online appointments. Bring the print-out of your confirmation email or show it on your mobile phone. You may also show the email and/or text message regarding your change of schedule, if your appointment has changed;
- Passport applicants who arrived during the hour of their appointment. Applicants who arrive too early for their appointment will have to wait until their appointment time;
- Consular applicants with body temperature not higher than 37.5°C;
- Consular applicants wearing appropriate face masks. Failure to have a face mask on hand despite having an appointment are grounds for denial of entry into the consular premises.
- To enhance safety and health, all applicants are encouraged to wear face shields. Wearing of face masks will be strictly observed.
For further inquiries and requests, and due to limited personnel, the Embassy highly recommends that the public contact the Consular Section through muscatpe.consular@dfa.gov.ph. The Consular Section may also be contacted (calls only) through +968 9988-7935 outside of office hours.
The Embassy may also be reached through telephone numbers (+968) 2460-5335, 2460-5140, and 2460-5143.
