Senior citizen ID: requirements and how to apply

The senior citizen ID is issued free by the Office for Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) of the city or municipality where the senior lives, and it is honoured nationwide (RA 9994 Secs. 4 and 6(c)). You apply on or after your 60th birthday. Each city or municipality sets its own document list. The two we checked ask for proof of age and proof that you live there.

Step by step at the OSCA

1. Check your city or municipality’s own page for its list, its office hours and whether it takes applications online. We do not publish one list as the rule for all, because they differ.
2. Bring proof of age, such as a PSA birth certificate, a passport or the Philippine National ID. Muntinlupa’s OSCA, as one example, also accepts a marriage contract showing the date of birth.
3. Bring proof that you live there, such as a valid ID with your local address, or a barangay certificate if your OSCA asks for one.
4. Bring photos if your OSCA asks for them.
5. Fill in the form and wait for the ID. Muntinlupa’s charter lists no fee for a new ID and about 35 minutes of processing, as an example.

Newly back from abroad

• Proving residence when you have just moved. Ask your OSCA what proof of residence it accepts before you go.
• Dual citizens. RA 9994’s implementing rules say the definition of senior citizen “may apply to senior citizens with ‘dual citizenship’ status provided they prove their Filipino citizenship and have at least six (6) months residency in the Philippines”. Muntinlupa, for example, asks dual citizens for their certificate of oath of allegiance and a Philippine passport with an arrival stamp showing six months’ residence. Quezon City asks for six months’ residence in the city. Bring your RA 9225 identification certificate or Philippine passport. See dual citizenship under RA 9225.

The national senior citizen ID

The National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) and the DICT launched a digital National Senior Citizens ID on the eGovPH app on 15 August 2025. Seniors with a Philippine National ID and an eGovPH account have it activated automatically. NCSC Public Advisory 2026-01 says the digital ID “is a valid proof of identity for Filipino senior citizens and must be accepted in all transactions”.

The OSCA ID remains valid under RA 9994. No NCSC page we found says the digital ID replaces it, and the NCSC still asks for the original OSCA ID at its cash-gift payouts. Keep your OSCA ID.

Lost, damaged or moving to another town

Rules differ by city or municipality. Two examples:

• Muntinlupa: a lost ID needs a notarised affidavit of loss and a valid ID with a Muntinlupa address; replacing a lost QR-code card costs PHP 50. Someone moving in from another town brings a certificate of cancellation and a certificate of no record from the old town’s OSCA.
• Quezon City: the OSCA replaces IDs that need correction, are damaged or lost, or belong to seniors transferring from another city or municipality.

Ask your own OSCA for its requirements before you go.

What the ID unlocks

• The 20% discount and VAT exemption on medicines, medical services, transport, hotels, restaurants and more. See senior citizen discount and benefits.
• PhilHealth coverage for all seniors (RA 10645). See PhilHealth for senior citizens.
• The social pension application, for indigent seniors. See the social pension.