Mabuhay
He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.
Jose Rizal
Welcome to the Honorary Philippine Consulate for Colorado and Southern Wyoming’s Web Page.
Consul ad honorem Donna Bandiola LaVigne was appointed to this honorary (and volunteer) position in 2017 and has been working hard to meet the needs of all Colorado and Wyoming Filipino and Fil-Ams. While she is a bit limited in what she can do as Honorary Consul, she is always happy to provide and direct all callers to the resources who can solve her problems.
We do always recommend that you check out the https://pcgsanfrancisco.org/services/ page for detailed instructions and the forms for the available consular services.
This Honorary Consulate operates strictly by appointment, so please call before dropping by. Notarial Service Appointments are available only in the mornings.
Limitations on available services through an honorary consul
For those seeking to renew or get a Philippine passport or secure dual citizenship: that can only be done at a full consulate (San Fran, LA, Chicago, Houston, NYC or Washington DC.) However, once per year, generally in June or July, the Consulate in San Francisco does hold a consular outreach where passports and dual citizenship applications can be processed locally (2026 is likely to be in Colorado Springs). No firm date for the Colorado mission has been set but by checking this website, you will know when it has been scheduled: https://pcgsanfrancisco.org/consular-outreach-missions/.
All of the Consulates and the Embassy stage outreach missions so if you are living outside of Colorado or are able to travel, you might find another mission more convenient. Each Consulate has their own schedule, if you go to this https://philippineembassy-dc.org/consulate-finder/ you can find the proper consulate and then look at their schedule for Outreach missions.
Consularizations of SPAs and other documents can be done for anyone with proper ID, it is no longer a requirement that you be a Filipino Citizen and Dual Citizen.
We were very happy that the DFA has changed the rules so if you need a document authenticated for use in the Philippines, gives a call, we will consularize documents for everyone.
Even with this new rule, you can still avail of the Apostille process through the Secretary of State. Simply have the document notarized (at a bank or your place of work) and then submit it to the Colorado Secretary of State to be Apostilled (See https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/apostilles/general.html ). You can do the Apostille process completely by mail so for those outside the metro area, a very economical option.
We understand that some bureaucrats and other officials in the Philippines still think consulatization is the only way for an overseas form to be accepted but that has not been true since 2019 when the Philippines joined the Apostille convention. If you encounter any official or entity refusing to accept an Apostille please call or email us. We will forward the information to the San Francisco Consulate who may reach out to the appropriate people to get them to reconsider their position on authenticated documents. (For a more detailed explanation of Apostilles click here)
Travel to the Philippines-eTravel makes it easy and isn’t Covid related any more:
72 hours before you travel you need to register at: https://etravel.gov.ph/. By registering in advance you make the process of clearing through immigration easy – you don’t need to fill out the forms on the plane since the information you entered into eTravel is tied to your passport number.
We traveled there recently and found the process to be fast and easy. One note on our experience – the eTravel website indicates that you don’t really need the QR code since immigration can pull it up with your passport number, however, we discovered that the ticket agent for Philippine Airlines did want to see proof that we had registered – fortunately, I had a screen shot of the code and I suggest you ensure you have that confirmation available on the phone.
Consular Services from the San Francisco Consulate
The San Fran Consulate and the Embassy are able to offer many services that the Honorary Consulates cannot so be sure to check them out. The Consulate and Embassy have authored detailed instructions on the requirements and procedures for most of their services so please download and read them carefully. The Consulate’s Web site has changed – so follow this link: https://pcgsanfrancisco.org/services/.
Contacting the Consulate
Colorado is very fortunate to have the Hon. Neil Frank R. Ferrer as its Con Gen. Through his leadership, the whole staff works hard to be responsive and helpful. However, they do work best through email. The Consulate is just so busy that contacting them by phone can be frustrating so we suggest, urge, recommend and otherwise plead with you to send the appropriate department and email with your questions. The Consulate has an email for each department and you can find them here: https://pcgsanfrancisco.org/contact-us/ . The breadth of questions that all of the consular outposts receive is huge and it is not possible for any one person to know all the answers. You will be happy if you go to the source by email.
Philippine Honorary Consulate Colorado 