Transitions

We have been busy re-starting our life here in the Philippines -- renovating the house, buying a new car, finding a new job and enrolling our little one to school. This also means we have to apply and renew personal documents and identification through government offices, that has been notorious for it's inefficiency. Surprisingly, everything we needed was done quickly and smoothly. Good job Pinas!
First stop was my student driver permit. I had to get one only now since I wasn't able to get a real drivers license before', because it will take me forever or a "token" to hasten the process of getting a driver's license. I tried my luck of getting my student permit in Lingayen, where we had a short vacation.  The LTO Lingayen District Office accommodated my application even if it was almost 4:00 pm already. I finished everything before the office closed, without "tokens" or charming my way. Just because of that, I regained my belief in the system of Philippine government offices.

How to get student driver's permit:
1. Must be 17 years old; physically and mentally fit to operate motor vehicle; can read and write in English, Filipino or applicable local dialect
2. Submit  requirements (duly accomplished Application for Driver's License (ADL) form, original and photocopy of NSO birth certificate, and medical certificate from licensed physician stating that the applicant is physically and mentally fit to operate motor vehicle) to the receiving LTO personnel  to evaluate documents
3. Once approved, applicant will be called for capturing photo and signature.
4. Pay fees at the cashier when called.
5. Claim student permit card with receipt at the appropriate window. 
*Within 30 days after issuance of SP to one year, the SP holder may apply for non-professional or professional driver's license

DFA NCR East proved me right too. We had to renew the little one's passport and scheduled our appointment via online here. I was expecting that there will be some delays or long queue, but there wasn't. It only took us about 30mins to finish everything from assessment, encoding, taking photo and paying.  The office was very accessible too, as it was inside a mall, very clean and has perfectly working AC.

How to renew passport for minors
1. Set appointment in the nearest or most convenient DFA office for applicant
2. Arrive on time and present your confirmed/ printed application form at the information counter to get a queue number
3. Submit requirements to the Processing Area when number is called (confirmed appointment, printed application form from DFA appointment system, original and photocopy of NSO birth certificate, most recent or expiring passport,  photocopy of the data page (page2), valid IDs, original and photocopy of  NSO marriage certificate, original and photocopy of  passport of mother (see other requirements here)
3. Pay fees at the passport Processing Area
4. Go to Encoding area for photo and signature capturing. 
5. Choose how you would like to claim your passport ( pick up at the DFA office or delivered via courier)

Hubby and I also got our police and NBI clearances. Processing them was also a breeze. If Philippines had always been like this (and there's no traffic), we could have returned home long ago. LOL.

*Sign up and log in at NBI Clearance to apply and pay fees for your NBI clearance. You will still need to go to NBI office for photo capturing and claiming your clearance.
*Go to your nearest Police Station to get your police clearance. Bring Community tax certificate and Baranggay clearance, where you can both get from your local Baranggay Hall.

Anyway, I'm just glad that we are back and everything, so far, is making this transition very easy. Hoping that everything will go better and better as we live our life here again.