Republic Act No. 10928

Section 10 of Republic Act No. 8239, otherwise known as the "Philippine Passport act of 1996", is hereby amended to read as follows:

• Section 10  Validity.

  Regular passports issued under this Act shall be valid for a period of ten (10) years: Provided, however, That for individuals under eighteen (18) years of age, only a passport with five (5)-year validity shall be issued: Provided, further, That the issuing authority may limit the period of validity to less than ten (10) years, whenever in the national economic interest or political stability of the country such restriction is necessary: Provided, finally, That a new passport may be issued to replace one which validity has expired, the old passport being returned to the holder after cancellation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs shall issue the necessary implementing rules and regulations and adopt best practices to ensure that the necessary reforms to make the passport processing system seamless, convenient and pro-people, and the production and security of passports at par with technological advances and world standards."

If any part or provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other provisions or parts not affected shall remain in full force and effect."

All laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, other issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly."

This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in an national newspaper of general circulation.