The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will resume printing physical Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) National ID cards before the year ends, ending a pause that left many registrants without their physical cards, according to a report by 102.9 Brigada News FM – Daet.
The announcement was carried in a video posted on the radio station’s Facebook page. PSA Chief Statistical Specialist Maria Dulce Padayao said the agency will handle card printing itself from here on.
Printing was temporarily paused in January because of printing problems and because the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) canceled its contract with the previous supplier, the report said. Initial production will be limited, with only a little over 10 printing centers scheduled to open.
Priority will go to early registrants who have not yet received their physical cards, starting with those who registered in 2021.
What this means for registrants
If you registered in 2021 and still have no physical card, you are first in line under the PSA’s plan. Registrants from later years should expect to wait longer, since the first batch of printing centers is small. The report did not name the printing centers, give opening dates, or say how the PSA will notify registrants.
Background on the delay
The BSP ended its contract with AllCard, Inc. in 2024 after the supplier failed to deliver the cards, BusinessWorld reported at the time. The BSP said then that 51.6 million cards had been printed and distributed as of May 2024, with a backlog of 32 million.
At a Senate hearing on April 14, 2026, PSA officials said about 55 million cards had been delivered and about 36 million were still waiting to be printed, with 12 million targeted for release in 2026, PEP.ph reported. The same report cited 90.5 million digital IDs generated, of which 71 million had been accessed.
In the meantime, registrants can open their digital National ID through the eGovPH app or get a free paper-format ID at PSA offices, according to the same PEP.ph report.
What’s next
The report did not say when the first printing centers will open. Since the PSA is taking over printing, the agency’s official channels are where registrants should expect the schedule, the list of centers, and instructions for claiming cards. The PSA’s April figures put the cards still waiting to be printed at about 36 million, so the first phase will cover only part of the backlog.
