We have been planning of applying for the kids’ passport. However, I was told that the NSO certified birth certificate does not come out until after six months when the child was born. It is a long wait and I do not quite understand why. Since we have no choice, we waited.

Hubby’s passport is already expired and mine is expiring soon. Maxyn turned seven months last January 7 so I thought maybe we can already get NSO certified birth certificates for all of us.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity. The NSO East Avenue branch is very near my place. I arrived there at around 2:30PM and by 3:30PM, I already have our certificates in my hands. I am actually impressed at how organized the process is.

Here are some tips before I tell you the process.

1. Bring pens. Make sure they have ink.

2. Bring a long envelope. You can opt for the brown paper one or the plastic one. You will use this to store your certificate/s. Else you just roll them.

3. Bring a fan. There are electric fans strategically placed but when the weather is hot, a fan will surely be helpful to keep your cool.

4. Bring water. Or you can just purchase outside before you go through the process.

When you enter the vicinity, the entrance is at the right where someone hands you the form. Tell that person what type of certificate you are getting and for how many people. You should get a form for each person per certificate. I got four forms for birth certificate.

I do not know what I was thinking then but I totally forgot to bring a pen with me. I was already inside when I realized that. Good thing I stumbled upon this elderly couple who lend me their extra pen, which I failed to return because I cannot find them.

Filling up the forms can be very tedious, well because I got a lot. Make sure you read each section carefully to avoid errors.

After filling up the form, proceed to the payment area. A guard will check your form before you proceed to the counter. There are plenty counters that accept payments and there are no queues at my time. Each birth certificate costs PhP140.

Once done with the payment, you will go to the releasing area where all the people are waiting. There are two sections in the waiting area, one is guarded with organized chairs and the other is just there for everyone. I do not know where to go so I asked a guard. He checked my receipt and explained to me the writings. It said my releasing time is at 4PM at window 5. I found out that those waiting inside have a releasing time of 3PM.

I went outside to buy a drink then looked for a vacant seat. A few minutes more and the people in the guarded area were already lining up in their respective windows. Then the whole area became vacant.

I did not know that where I was sitting was the start of the line. When the guarded area became vacant, we were asked to line up then we proceeded inside. A few minutes more of waiting, we were asked to go to our respective windows.

Once you have your certificates, check it for errors. I panicked because Ayex’s name was misspelled in the receipt that I only found out during the releasing. Good thing the certificates were all correct.

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