2022 Philippine Elections

#PHVote Guides: How to transfer your overseas registration to PH

Michelle Abad

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#PHVote Guides: How to transfer your overseas registration to PH
(2nd UPDATE) If you’re a registered voter abroad, but will be voting in the Philippines in 2022, you must transfer your registration to be able to vote

Are you registered to vote in a foreign post, but will be voting in the Philippines in 2022? Perhaps you were recently repatriated, and will still be here for the elections in May next year?

If you are a balikbayan, then you will need to transfer your registration from the foreign post to a local registry. 

Iyong mga repatriated overseas voters…kailangan silang mag-transfer of registration para makaboto sa Pilipinas,” Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson James Jimenez said during a briefing organized by Vera Files on May 20. 

(Overseas voters who were repatriated need to transfer their registration records to be able to vote in the Philippines.)

The Comelec originally set the deadline for this transfer application to August 31. But on Friday, September 3, the commission extended the deadline to September 30, 2021 – same as the deadline for regular voters’ registration. 

This application can be done in local offices in the Philippines, or online.

What are the requirements?

Former overseas voters need to accomplish two application forms called OVF1 and CEF1, and a health declaration form. You’ll also need a valid ID.

The PDF of OVF1 from Comelec’s website can be found here, and CEF1 here.

Shade the ovals that say “Application for transfer,” and indicate that your transfer will be from the foreign post to a Philippine municipality, city, or district.

You can find the Comelec’s coronavirus self declaration form here.

Here is the list of valid IDs the Comelec accepts for registration:

  • Passport
  • Employee’s ID with employer’s signature 
  • Postal ID 
  • PWD ID 
  • Student’s ID or a library card, signed by school authority 
  • Senior citizen’s ID 
  • Driver’s license
  • NBI clearance
  • SSS/GSIS ID 
  • Integrated Bar of the Philippines ID 
  • License issued by the Professional Regulatory Commission
  • Certificate of Confirmation issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in case of members of ICCs or IPs
  • Any other valid ID 

Prepare other documentation related to your status abroad, like dual citizenship documents, or a Seaman’s Book for seafarers, in case the Comelec representative asks for them.

Where do I submit my documents?

In July 2021, the Comelec began offering fully online services for applications that do not require live biometrics capturing – this includes transfer of registration from overseas to the Philippines.

If you plan to do a walk-in application, or you’ve set an appointment with iRehistro, you can submit your forms and your identification requirements in the following local field registration centers:

  • Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) Comelec Main – Intramuros 
  • Marina Industry Authority (MARINA) – SM Manila
  • DFA Consular Office West, NCR – SM Manila
  • DFA Aseana – Aseana Business Park, Parañaque City
  • DFA Robinsons Galleria – Edsa cor. Ortigas Avenue
  • Philippine Overseas Employment Administration – Ortigas Avenue cor. Edsa

All of these local registration offices are open from Mondays to Fridays, 8 am to 5 pm. An exception is the DFA Consular Office West, which operates from Mondays to Fridays from 10 am to 6 pm.

You can also visit your local Comelec office in your city or municipality (where you plan to vote in 2022) and apply for transfer there.

The Comelec recommends that registrants bring their own alcohol or hand sanitizer, as well as their own blue or black ballpoint pens as safety protocols against COVID-19. – Rappler.com

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Michelle Abad

Michelle Abad is a multimedia reporter at Rappler. She covers the rights of women and children, migrant Filipinos, and labor.