How to register for the 2016 elections

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Do you want to have a say on which leaders will be elected on May 9, 2016?

If yes, then you have to make sure you are registered voter; and if registered, then that you have updated your voter’s record with biometrics data. 

You only have until October 31, 2015, to register as a voter or validate your biometrics data for the 2016 presidential, national, and local elections.

Follow the steps below and take note of important information on the registration process.

---

Download a shareable infographic version of this article by clicking here.

---

Are you eligible to vote?

You must be:

• A Filipino citizen
• At least 18 years old on or before Election Day
• A resident of the Philippines for at least 1 year
• A resident of the place where you intend to vote for at least 6 months preceding Election Day

You must not have been:

• Sentenced by final judgment to suffer imprisonment for at least 1 year
• Adjudged by final judgment for committing any crime of disloyalty to the government or against national security
• Declared insane or incompetent by a competent authority

---

How to register

1. Bring a valid ID to your local Comelec office or to satellite registration areas in malls and barangays.

Refer to the “Where to register?” section below for more information.

Acceptable valid IDs:

• Employee ID, with signature of employer or authorized representative
• Postal ID
• PWD Discount ID
• Student’s ID or library card, signed by school authority
• Senior Citizen’s ID
• Driver’s license
• NBI clearance
• Passport
• SSS/GSIS ID
• Integrated Bar of the Philippine (IBP) ID
• Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) license
• For IPs, a Certificate of Confirmation issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)
• Any other valid ID

2. Fill out 3 copies of the form to apply for registration.

For voters who only seek to validate biometrics record, go to Step 3.

The following voter-related services are also available:

• Transfer of Voter Registration Record
• Reactivation of Voter Registration Record
• Change of name due to marriage or court order
• Correction of entries in Voter Registration Record
• Reinstatement of name in the List of Voters
• Inclusion of registration record in the Book of Voters
• Updating of records of persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and indigenous peoples

You may also fill out application forms online via the Comelec’s iRehistro website, at www.irehistro.com.

You will have to print 3 copies of the accomplished form, and bring them to your local Comelec office, where your biometrics will be taken.

Voters in the National Capital Region and in Baguio City may use iRehistro to schedule an appointment for biometrics capture.

3. Have your biometrics captured.

Comelec personnel will take your photograph, digital signature, and fingerprints.

4. Keep the acknowledgment receipt.

It is found at the bottom part of the application form. It will be detached by the Comelec personnel and given to you.

This step does not apply to voters who only seek to validate biometrics record.

---

Unsure of the status of your voter registration or biometrics record?

You may check via the Comelec’s Precinct Finder or see if your name is on the list of Voters Without Biometrics at the Comelec website.

---

Where to register?

1. Local Comelec offices

Go to the Comelec office of the town or city where you intend to vote. Click here for a directory of Comelec field offices, as posted at the Comelec website.

Local Comelec offices are open 8 am to 5 pm, from Sunday to Friday in Metro Manila and highly-urbanized cities, and from Monday to Friday in other towns and cities.

2. Satellite registration booths in malls

Click here for the schedule of voters’ registration and validation in select Robinsons, Ayala, and SM malls, and Waltermart branches in your area. These are usually conducted on weekends during mall hours.

3. Satellite registration booths in barangays

Rappler will keep you posted as soon as the Comelec releases a schedule of satellite registration events in barangays.

---

For overseas Filipino voters

If you’re a qualified Filipino voter who will be voting overseas during the absentee voting period (April 9 to May 9, 2016), then you will be asked to fill out an Overseas Voting Form. You will also be required to bring supporting documents, such as:

• A valid Philippine passport, or a certification from the Department of Foreign Affairs in lieu of a passport
• For seafarers, a photocopy of the Seaman’s Book
• For dual citizens or those who reacquired or retained Filipino citizenship via Republic Act 9225, a certified true copy of a signed Oath of Allegiance, Order of Approval, and/or an Identification Certificate submitted to the concerned embassy or consulate

Register to vote and validate your biometrics at:

1. Philippine embassies and consulates abroad

Use the Comelec’s Post Finder or see the list of consular jurisdictions at the Comelec website to see where you can register.

2. Field registration centers in Metro Manila

Register as an absentee voter even before heading abroad. (READ: Comelec opens voter registration center for OFWs)

The Comelec has set up overseas voters’ registration centers at the following areas:

• Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) office in Mandaluyong City, via:
• the Balik Manggagawa Center, or
• the Pre-departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) Area
• Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) office in Intramuros, Manila
• Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) office at the CFO Building, President Quirino corner Osmeña Highway, Paco, Manila
• Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Office of Consular Affairs, along Macapagal Avenue, Parañaque City
• Philippine Transmarine Carriers (PTC) office, Bagtikan St, Makati City – for seafarers
• Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminals 1, 2, and 3

3. Comelec’s iRehistro website

You may also use iRehistro to fill out application forms online. But you will still have to print out 3 copies of the accomplished form and appear before the designated Philippine embassy or consulate for the biometrics capture. – Michael Bueza/Rappler.com