Passport Renewal at the Philippine Embassy

Last week, we received a letter from the Immigration Office reminding us that our daughter's passport is about to expire and that we are obliged to submit a copy of the extension of the existing passport or furnish them a copy of the new one.

Oh no! I totally forgot about this! Good thing they reminded us because we have only less than two month's time to get a new passport and we are also travelling to the Philippines in a few days. Whew! That was close!

I prepared the documents that they will be needing beforehand to facilitate a speedy processing. The official website of the Philippine Embassy in Berlin also lists the requirements. 

For a simple renewal of passport, without name change, these are: 

1. Filled-up passport application form (Download form here.)
2. Current passport and photocopy of passport information page 
3. Current German residency permit (Aufenthaltstitel) and photocopy of the permit 
4. Photocopy of valid visa page (if any) of the passport 
5. Passport fee €54,00 payable only in cash 
6. For applicants who wish to collect their new passport by mail: A self-addressed return envelope with €3,95 in stamps for registered mail. I bought the stamp online via the Deutsche Post eFiliale website and printed it on sticker paper since I had no more time to buy one at the post office. 

Because it takes about 8 - 12 weeks before the new passport will arrive, we also had my daughter's existing passport extended. For this, we had to fill up an additional request form and pay €18,00. The form can also be found at the Embassy's website.

And so off they went to Berlin last Thursday to renew the passport. It was quick. It took them only less than an hour to submit the application, her my daughter's photo and biometrics taken and she had her old passport extended until 2019.

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Philippine Passport Renewal in Berlin

Since we are going home for the holidays and my daughter's passport is expiring in five months, we thought it would be best to renew it the soonest possible time. Why Berlin? It is indeed a loooong way from where we live but Berlin is the only consular office that offer passport services among other things. So we don't have a choice. Before, the Philippine Consulate office in Frankfurt still provided passport services but since the ePassport went in effect last  March 2011, processing of passports is only accepted in Berlin. So me and my little girl went to Berlin for a couple of days to apply for a new passport.

The weather wasn't cooperating en route and even while we were in Berlin. Thankfully, my little girl was up for a little adventure in the city as we tried to navigate our way from the Berlin main train station to our hotel, riding the train to get to the embassy office, etc. and all that while it was raining intermittently.

Unlike the other embassies which are mostly located in the "Embassy Quarter" on the Tiergarten, on the Unter den Linden and around the Brandenburg Gate, the Philippine Embassy in Berlin is located on the 6th floor of the Uhlandstrasse 97 building. To get there, one needs to take the U7 train and get off at Blissestrasse and take the Uhlandstrasse exit. The building is just across the street and you can see the Philippine flag right above the main entrance of the building.

A prior appointment is not necessary so we just went there. I filled up some forms for my daughter and also for me for the overseas absentee voting registration. Then we paid €60 for the passport and waited for a while until we are called for the capture of biometric data. I guess it took us less than an hour to get everything done. Next, we need to wait for a few weeks (a minimum of 30 working days) before the passport is ready, which the embassy will send us via Post.

On our way out, we decided to take some photos of the Embassy. My little girl especially loved the bear painted with the colors of the Philippine flag. And that was our next activity... "Bear Hunting in Berlin".

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I ♥ Berlin: Craving for Dunkin Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts is one of the things that I miss about the Philippines. There's a lot of franchise stores there and it was one of my favorite hangout areas way back in high school. There's just something refreshing about the sugar-coated toppings, and the lightly-salted ham and egg and cheese sandwich. 

Sadly, there's no Dunkin' Donuts here in Stuttgart but I was happy to learn that in Berlin, there is! Some 23 stores if I am not mistaken. So during our trip to Berlin last end of April on the occasion of my birthday, we went to a Dunkin' Donuts store located at the Sony Center along Potsdamer Strasse for refreshments before continuing on our sightseeing tour.

The taste hasn't changed... But there are some assortments missing that I think is only available in the Philippines. It was a delight though to select my favorite flavors like Boston Creme, Bavarian Creme, Chocolate Coconut, and Double Chocolate. There are other variants too that my little girl chose and enjoyed eating. It was a wish come true... a Happy Birthday indeed!

When we left Berlin, we also bought a box of donuts as pasalubong for our friends in Stuttgart. I guess no matter where you are in the world, Dunkin' Donuts will always be "pasalubong ng bayan!"

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Dandelions

My daughter loves them a lot! They begin to bloom just about anywhere at the beginning of Spring and continues to do so until the summer. I actually didn't know until today that they are called dandelions since I only know their German name: Löwenzahn, which literally means "lion teeth". What is amazing about dandelions is that after it blooms, it produces seeds, each attached to a stem with white fluffy stems and turns into what the Germans call Pusteblume, because it when you blow on it, they scatter in the wind.

It is interesting to note that while many people see it as a pesky weed, herbalists see them as a valuable herb and medicine, and a rich source of vitamins A, B complex, C, and D, as well as minerals such as iron, potassium, and zinc. Many of its parts are edible, e.g. the leaves are used in salads to add flavor, roots are used in some coffee substitutes and the flowers are used to make wine.

And here is my little girl, picking up some dandelions. We were Berlin at that time and she picked these up, along with some Pusteblume while waiting for our turn for the boat tour around Berlin. This photo was taken at the park near the main train station.

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