Applicants during the Sunday consular services are assisted by the consular staff, Mr. Luisito Andales (seated) to ensure that their documentary requirements are complete before they are called at the service counter for evaluation and interview.

27 September 2017 ROME - The Philippine Embassy in Rome opened its consular office on September 24, Sunday, to all Filipinos who have difficulty in availing of its consular services on weekdays.

It was the third time this year that Philippine Embassy in Rome held full consular services on a Sunday with the participation of its partner agencies such as the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, Social Security System (SSS) and Pag-IBIG.

The Sunday consular services handled a total of 197 transactions, mostly passport renewal applications (53), overseas voter registration (24), notarial services (18), and enrolment in the SSS (26) and Pag-IBIG (35). Forty-two (42) individuals also took their oath to complete the process of reacquiring Philippine citizenship.

Some applicants who came from outside the capital city of Rome travelled by train or commuter van to avail of the Sunday consular services.

The Philippine Embassy in Rome also conducts consular outreach missions to the Filipino community in the different provinces and cities of Italy. Fifteen (15) outreach missions have been completed so far this year.

Italy is home to almost 170,000 Filipinos. The cities of Rome and Florence have a combined Filipino population of 52,621 as of 30 June 2017. END

Overseas voter registration, handled by Mr. Rudolf France, is a key component of the Sunday consular services. The Philippine Embassy in Rome has already registered a total of 6,610 overseas voters since 1 January this year.