The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday officially rolled out a Fully Digital Apostille System for Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) eCertificates and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) electronic CAV documents, eliminating the need for paper apostilles.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro said the new system issues apostilles as fully digital certificates with advanced cryptographic safeguards and QR-based verification, ensuring authenticity and security.
Once the DFA receives PSA or CHED documents electronically, an e-Apostille can be issued the next working day, with the ordering process taking less than ten minutes.
The Philippines first introduced e-Apostille services in March 2024 and has since issued 42,300 e-Apostille certificates. The country became the first in ASEAN to accede to the Apostille Convention in 2018 and is now the first in the region—and third in the Asia-Pacific—to implement fully electronic apostille services.
Lazaro noted that nearly 47% of authentication requests at the DFA involve PSA civil registry documents and CHED academic records, making digitization a major benefit for millions of Filipinos engaged in cross-border transactions.
“Behind each application is an individual pursuing opportunities abroad—a student enrolling in a foreign university, a professional pursuing overseas employment, or a family completing important legal processes across borders,” Lazaro said.
She encouraged other government agencies to integrate into the system, stressing that the initiative reflects a broader commitment to modernizing public service.
“Beyond technology, this initiative reflects our enduring commitment to public service. By modernizing authentication processes, we enable the public to pursue opportunities abroad with greater ease while positioning the Philippines as a regional leader in digital public service delivery,” she added.
Following the DFA-organized National Workshop on e-Apostille implementation last December, several agencies are expected to join the system this year.