Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco — Attraction in San Francisco

8.14.24; I hope whoever is reading this 🙏 gets guided through the process because their online information thing needs an update. It's misleading we thought $50 in cash is enough luckily we have. ORGANIZE ALL requested Documents & bring ORIGINAL AS WELL ❤️ bring new passport photos from (walgreens, post office, etc) !

This is VERY IMPORTANT! FOR THOSE WHO HAVE A DIFFERENT NAME(s) & GENDER, PHILIPPINES 🇵🇭 WILL NOT HONOR IT ONLY BIRTH CERTIFICATE! EVEN IF YOU HAVE A US PASSPORT & CA ID THAT HAS A NEW NAME DOCUMENTED & SIGNED & SEALED BY CA COURT OF LAW; THEY WILL NOT HONOR IT UNFORTUNATELY.

1. make online appointment & arrive 15 min. Early !!! Make copies of ALL DOCUMENTS THE PICTURES OF IT I WILL POST BELOW! A)online application: after filling it all out, make copies 2x each! (If applicable as follows). B) copies of: online application, birth certificates, marriage certificate even if divorced, Philippines 🇵🇭 passport, USA 🇺🇸 naturalization certificate, us passport, 2x passport photo 2x copies, cash $125 or more including worth $2 of quarters, $25 processing fees if you have a dependent children: ( 2x passport photos & birth certificates).

2. FOR PARKING; if you have the $ by all means park across it; its $50 for 5 hours ONLY, but if you WANT an ALL DAY PARKING FOR $19 PLEASE GET TO SFMTA PARKING AT UNION SQUARE BEFORE 930AM ❤️ it's less then 5 minutes to walk to the (Philippines CONSULATE). It's slightly uphill. It's more then 4 hours from processing to oath taking then passport etc. There's small eateries around the area.

3. bring CASH WORTH $125 OR MORE! they accept credit/debit but there's a 3.9% sur charge or something like that. BRING QUARTERS because incase you forgot to make copies of documents. After the "oath taking" in the 6th floor you'll need to make 3x copies of the "dual certification." 😀 A) Processing fee: $50 (2nd floor) B) PI passport: $60 (5th floor) C) Stamps: you'll need 12pc the building in the 5th floor sells it for $15 but if you walk to walgreens it's near by its 20pc for $15!

4. by 130pm they'll ask to be waited at 1st floor you'll see others there because by 2pm there's an oath taking ceremony etc. After they'll ask u to go to 6th floor but before that go to 5th floor to pay for the $60 passport or if u don't have stamps it's $15 there as well. Then go to 6th floor check in they'll call your name to finish the processing!

By 3pm(ish) the building is closed & everyone is done by then. Other then this I enjoyed it & hopefully my review will reach those who are 1st timers, confused, or curious how the (dual citizenship) Processing works! Goodluck everyone!...

I hoped the reviews weren’t all true. I hoped I would be the one to write a positive review of this consulate. My hopes and my time were all in vain. First of all, the security at the entrance is professional and friendly. On the second floor, at the visa and passport area, things are more or less reasonable, as you take a ticket and wait for your number to be called. However, the woman in charge of visas does not know how to process all visas. To preface this, I had my visa last year processed at the consulate in New York City on the same day. The woman here had never heard of my visa before (a rather common Fulbright-Hays one) and tried to tell me I needed a different visa. After looking over my forms, she realized she was wrong. After looking over all my documents and seeing I had everything, she announced I would need to show I had a flight booked to the Philippines before she could process my visa. I explained this was not required a year ago. She responded rather curtly “this is our policy.” I contacted my sponsor and two hours later, I returned to the consulate to show my flight was booked. She no longer wanted to see my booking. She showed me a big blue book and said she would need time to look in the book to see if my sponsor (Georgetown University) was listed in “the book.” She told me to leave my documents with her. When would she get in touch with me, I inquired, perhaps later that day? No, she said, maybe next week. Even though the waiting room was not full, and there were other clerks to help those waiting, she said she was busy and needed to help others. To summarize, the woman handling visas does not know how to process all of the visas which are in her responsibility to process. Further, she has little respect for others’ time, or processing paperwork in a reasonable amount of time. Lastly, when I came to her with all of the necessary documents, and a booked flight WHICH SHE DEMANDED, she said she would need more time (because she doesn’t know how to do her job, clearly.) I requested my documents back from her, and will process my visa in a few weeks when I stop by NYC. Accountability, please.

PS. Don’t bother calling or emailing. You’ll never hear back.

UPDATE: Yes, this consulate needs a new visa person. My visa was processed in New York in 2 business days with a smile and friendly...

Dual citizenship application - Nov 2023

I visited the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco in November 2023 to process my dual citizenship application. Process entails checking all the paperworks first then voter registration after that then oathtaking at 1:30PM. Arriving at 8:30 am, while it is typically recommended to choose an early appointment I think it makes sense choosing a timeslot closer to noon that way you don't wait for a long time for the oathtaking at 1:30 pm. The option to apply for a Philippine passport is available after the oathtaking but is not mandatory.

The entire staff, from the security personnel to those conducting the oathtaking, was courteous and respectful. The atmosphere was welcoming, making the process smoother.

Although companions aren't allowed during the application process(for people who can process for themselves) it seems possible to bring one to the oathtaking ceremony. I am not entirely sure, but it appeared that way.

Parking tip: I found "SFMTA - Sutter Stockton Garage" and "SFMTA Union Square Garage" to be convenient options. Both are a short 0.2-mile, 4-minute walk from the consulate. While street parking is available, the garages provide a hassle-free and safer alternative, with SFMTA Union Square Garage being my preferred choice for future visits. There are a lot of reviews here but only few actually mention about parking.

TLDR

Key points

For dual citizenship, since there will be an oathtaking at 1:30PM no matter what time you finished in the morning so choose an appointment closer to that time if you dont want to wait for a long time until the oathtaking

Companion not allowed for people not needing assistance but may be allowed during the oathtaking

Parking: Good options is SFMTA Sutter Stockton and SFMTA Union square. Both are short walk from the SF PCG. Street parking might...