 |
Can't wait to marry your beautiful Filipino fiancee?, You don't know where to start?. I am here to help you. Let me share with you the steps and prerequisites for Civil Marriage. Our exchange of vows took place last January 2011, the City Mayor officiated the nuptial ceremony, solemnized in Quezon City. I would also wanted to give you further information regarding this matter. I made this simple and comprehensive for you.
STEPS AND PREREQUISITES FOR CIVIL MARRIAGE:
Civil Wedding officiated by the City Mayor
* Applying for Marriage License (Proceed to the Civil Registrar's Office inside City Hall's premises)
- Certified True Copy of Baptismal Certificate or Birth Certificate of both applicants, if Widowed, Certified True Copy of Death Certificate of demise spouse, if previous marriage was annulled, copy of Court Decision and Absolute Decree of Finality from the court, for Foreign Applicant, if Divorced, copy of Final Decree of Absolute Divorce
- Community Tax Certificates (CEDULA) of both applicants, for Foreign Applicant, no need of course.
- 1 photo ID (black and white or colored background) of each applicant.
- Certificate of Family Planning of both applicants > There is no age limit for Family Planning Seminar, for those couples who are 24 years and below need to attend Family Planning Sessions and Pre-Marital Counseling. These sessions are scheduled for one-half day and will be held at Department of Health inside City Hall's premises.
- For Foreign Applicant ONLY, Photocopy of Passport (showing the Date of Arrival and Data)
- For Foreign Applicant ONLY, Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry (In United Kingdom, Certificate of No Impediment) issued by Respective Consular or Diplomatic Officials.
Note:
> Parental Consent is needed for applicant between 18-21 years old.
> Parental Advice is needed for applicant between 21-25 years old.
> One of the applicants must be a resident of the place where they will apply for the
Marriage License
>The Marriage License will be issued on the 11th day after the 10-day posting period upon submission of the Marriage License application. The Marriage License expires 120 days from the date of issue.
When you have already completed the necessary requirements, go straight to designated window/s inside the Civil Registrar's Office, Remember these, no transactions will be made outside the Civil Registrar's Office or in the desk of staff himself, in some cases, crooked people in the outside will approach you then offer you service to facilitate the process, some will ask you more penny and some has accomplice inside the office.
Fill up the Application Form, the Application Form cost 50 Pesos and the Marriage License cost 100 Pesos in Quezon City, you may check the City's Official Website for specific fees, as far as I know, not all cities have the same fees.
* Write a Letter of Intent to Marry; include your name and your fiancee's name along with your signatures, in the letter, you can suggest dates of wedding.
* Proceed to the Mayor's Office then look for the Secretary, submit the Letter and the Marriage License, the Secretary will ask you to leave your contact number/s; the Secretary will check if the Mayor will be available on those suggested dates, if not, she will inform you the available dates immediately.
* On your wedding day, you have to pay the amount of 100 Pesos, as Filing Fee. They will be the one to forward their own facsimile of your Marriage Contract to the Civil Registrar's Office. They will give you the original facsimile of Marriage Contract.
> They require 2 witnesses. The witnesses must be of legal age.
> As far as I remember, according to the Secretary, it takes 1-2 months before you can able to get a facsimile of Marriage Certificate from the National Statistics Office, you can visit the Official Website for further information.
Civil Wedding officiated by the member/s of Local Judiciary
(Proceed to the Hall of Justice inside City Hall's premises)
- Marriage License
- Family Planning Certificate
- Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry or Affidavit in Lieu of a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage
> The fee depends upon the Officiant, some Officiants will include the Filing Fee with their fees.
You might also like to read this informative guide: Getting Married in the Republic of the Philippines
