Issues on GCASH Payments made via the DFA Online Passport Appointment System

08 July 2021 – The Department of Foreign Affairs – Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA) has received numerous reports of error/ double-charging/ unconfirmed appointments from applicants who used the GCash payment facility when securing an appointment from the DFA’s online passport appointment system website.

DFA-OCA was advised by Paymaya, the payment gateway for all passport appointments meant for its Temporary Off-site Passport Service (TOPS) sites, that the reported issues occur because some transactions which have already been declined by Paymaya (based on their agreed protocols with GCash), were still approved by GCash on their end. Thus, the applicants’ GCash accounts were debited but they do not receive appointment confirmations.

The Department has been assured by Paymaya that they are coordinating closely with GCash to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

We request the public to bear this issue in mind when using the GCash payment facility when accessing the DFA’s online passport appointment system website.

Once Paymaya has resolved the issue with GCash, DFA-OCA shall issue a follow-up advisory.