Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines

The Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines (DFA) is the executive department tasked with formulating, implementing, and coordinating the country's foreign policy. It manages the Philippines' diplomatic missions abroad, including embassies, consulates, and permanent missions to international organizations. The department is responsible for negotiating treaties and agreements, representing the nation in multilateral fora, and promoting Philippine interests overseas. It also provides consular services such as passport issuance, visa assistance, and aid to overseas Filipino workers in distress.

As the lead agency for international relations, the DFA holds a regulatory role over passport issuance and the regulation of foreign service personnel. It maintains a global network of diplomatic and consular posts that serve as points of contact for Filipinos abroad and foreign visitors in the Philippines. The department's competencies include crisis management for overseas Filipinos, trade promotion, and cultural diplomacy initiatives. In July 2016, the DFA's online presence was among the government websites targeted in a large‑scale distributed denial‑of‑service attack that disrupted services across multiple agencies.

The DFA operates as a line department of the Philippine government, directly under the Office of the President, with its head appointed by the President and confirmed by the Commission on Appointments. It does not have a parent company or subsidiary structure, being an integral part of the national bureaucracy. The department's internal organization includes various bureaus and offices that handle specific functions such as administration, legal affairs, and migrant workers' welfare.