For the information and guidance of all foreign service posts, hereunder are the requirements and procedures involved in authorizing the extension of an official passport issued to a government scholar, trainee or grantee:

1. Upon receipt of a request for authority from an Embassy or Consulate General, Consular may readily authorize the extension if the applicant ™s original travel authority issued by the government agency is still valid and when there is proof of satisfactory academic performance.

2. Otherwise, the request is referred to the Special Committee on Scholarship, care of the National Economic and Development Authority (SCS-NEDA), or to the applicant ™s home agency or institution, for their comments and recommendations.

3. Upon favorable recommendation by the SCS-NEDA or its home agency, Consular may authorize the Embassy or the Consulate to extend the validity of the official passport within the allowable period granted.

4.  The maximum period of validity to be given is only for one year in order to monitor the academic performance of the government scholars.

In order to facilitate the granting of authority, the following documents should be submitted to the Department together with the request:

1. Latest official school transcript/report on satisfactory academic performance.

2. Recommendation of extension from the course adviser.

In view of the time involved in securing approval from the authorities concerned, applicants must file their applications for extensions or replacement of official passport at least ninety (90) days before expiration of their passports.

In urgent cases or time constraint, the Embassy or Consulate may extend the validity of the official passport for a limited period not exceeding three (3) months, followed by a confirmatory despatch to the Department, forwarding copies of the required documents.  Otherwise, request beyond three (3) months should be referred to the Department for approval.

This amends Foreign Service Circular No. 39-85 dated 20 February 1985.

Please be guided accordingly.

Adopted: 1 Aug. 1990

(SGD.) SHULAN O. PRIMAVERA

Secretary