Marriages abroad of Filipino citizens must be reported and duly registered.
According to various overseas embassies of the Philippines, all Filipino citizens who marry overseas must report and register the marriage at the local Philippines Embassy.
This is done by submitting a Report of Marriage Form, which can be obtained from the local embassy website. Birth Certificates and passport copies are also needed.
Some embassy websites also state: “A Filipino citizen married outside the Philippines must register the marriage with the Philippine Foreign Service Post (Embassy or Consulate) of the country where the marriage was officiated“.
Sources:
Philippines Embassy United States
Four (4) original duly-accomplished Report of Marriage Contracted Abroad form… etc
Philippines Embassy Australia
All documents are to be submitted in quadruplicate (4).
Philippines Embassy Norway
Three (3) copies of the duly accomplished Report of Marriage Form, and other documents.
Reports of Marriage may be filed either by mail or in person at the Consular section of the Embassy
Philippines Embassy United Kingdom
Original and three (3) clear copies
Hi Admin,
Hope all is well. I would like to ask, just in case we are planning to get married in the Philippines with my foreigner boyfriend, do we need to register our marriage to his country of origin? or is it possible to get married again in his country of origin? Thank you in advance.
Hi there, I just wanna ask. Me and my fiancé are planning to have a Utah virtual wedding. (Him in Texas while me in Philippines) since tourist can’t enter the Philippines yet if they are 9a visa holder unless married to a Filipino citizen. He called the embassy in his area and was told that he can apply for 9a visa but the marriage contract is needed upon arrival since he is not travelling with me and needs to present a PSA copy. I called the PSA and they mentioned that the marriage contract should be submitted to the nearest embassy of the origin of marriage and embassy will submit it in DFA then DFA will forward it to PSA. Is that really the right process? Do we have the same scenario with others? Will they accept the virtual wedding? Can my fiancé submit the marriage license in Phil Embassy instead?
I am not sure how far the Virtual Marriage Act has gone in the Philippines yet.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1152475
However, if a marriage contract is needed upon arrival, by immigration officers, it would be best to carry one, no matter if it also needs to be sent to the embassy.
The requirement to have it sent to PSA from the embassy, is to have the marriage registered in the Philippines. Not everyone will actually register a marriage in the Philippines, if they are married overseas.
Immigration have their own requirements.
I read this at: https://ph.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
Foreign nationals who are holders of valid and existing 9(a) or Temporary Visitor’s Visas, provided they present, upon arrival, an EED issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), except for foreign spouses, parents, or children of Filipino citizens with valid 9(a) visas who are allowed entry to the Philippines without the need of an EED as of August 1, 2021, per IATF Resolution 128.
Actual wording is:
Upon the recommendation of the IATF Technical Working Group, foreign spouses, parent/s, and/or children of Filipino citizens with valid 9(a) visas may be allowed entry to the Philippines without the need of an entry exemption document beginning 01 August 2021. For this purpose, the visas of the foregoing shall contain the following notation: “EED not required per IATF Resolution No. 128 (s.2021)” RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Chairperson and the Co-Chairperson shall be duly authorized to sign this Resolution for and on behalf of the Inter-Agency Task Force. APPROVED during the 128th Inter-Agency Task Force Meeting, as reflected in the minutes of the meeting, held this July 22, 2021, via video conference.
In the Regular Meeting of the IATF held on 22 July 2021 via teleconference during which a quorum was present and acted throughout, IATF Resolution No. 128 was unanimously approved and adopted;
Philippine Airlines state that a Non-Filipino/Foreign spouse, if not traveling with Filipino national, Filipino national is currently residing in the Philippines at the intended date of travel, must have a Foreign Passport with Philippine valid entry visa or long-term visa, AND authentic marriage certificate.
https://www.philippineairlines.com/en/ph/home/covid-19/ArrivingInThePH/EligiblePaxForTravelToPH
Is there such a thing as being married online in the US? is that valid here in the Philippines? I can’t travel because of COVID and my fiance wants us to get married now for some valid reasons. thank you very much.
Normally no, according to this: “People who want a virtual wedding can throw the ceremony for fun, but they can’t get legally married online from separate locations.”
However, just recently, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed an executive order Saturday allowing New Yorkers to obtain marriage licenses and perform ceremonies remotely.
“I am issuing an Executive Order allowing New Yorkers to obtain a marriage license remotely and allowing clerks to perform ceremonies via video conference,” Cuomo tweeted Saturday. https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/493492-cuomo-signs-executive-order-allowing-new-yorkers-to-obtain-marriage
So, things MIGHT be possible in some parts. You need to check locally.
Not sure if BOTH need to be in the US for this?
Hello there. my bf was divorced from his wife. Both of them are naturalized US Citizen when they contracted their marriage in the Philippines and it was also registered here. Now, he wanted to marry me here in the Philippines. How to adjust his status from ” married ” to “single”?
He would need to file a case in court for the recognition of the foreign divorce. I am assuming he was ALSO still a Philippine citizen at the time of marriage.
Only until after the foreign divorce is recognized in the Philippines can the Filipino spouse enter into another marriage.
The recognition of the foreign divorce is mandatory if the Filipino party is to remarry.
Dear Admin,
Can a “Report of Marriage” be canceled and how ? When canceled can the Filipino remarry in the Philippines? We did not marry in Philippines. Thank you in advance.
A “Report of Marriage” cannot be cancelled. You are married until you are divorced.
A Filipino, who married outside the Philippines, can normally get a divorce in a foreign country, and have that divorce recognised in the Philippines, after filing for recognition of a foreign divorce in a Philippines court.
However, this only applies if one party to the marriage is not a Philippine citizen at the time of the divorce.
“Recognition of foreign divorce is only available if at least one of the spouses was a non-Filipino at the time of the divorce.”
If both hold Philippine Citizenship (even dual citizens) they would need to file for annulment in the Philippines.
A Filipino can file for “recognition of a foreign divorce” even if they live outside the country. However, you may be required to attend court at least once in the Philippines, to testify in court.
When a divorce has been validly obtained abroad, and this has been recognised by the Philippines court, the Filipino spouse shall then have the capacity to remarry under Philippine law.
https://www.in-philippines.com/recognition-of-foreign-divorce-in-the-philippines/
Hi admin,
if we don’t even report our marriage in Thailand embassy can we married again in Philippines? We’re married in Thailand last November 8, but we don’t report it yet,
It is an interesting thought. Some people do have a second marriage in their home countries, although normally for the sake of having a family celebration.
I am not sure if there would be any immediate problems. It could be worth considering.
Why we need to report our marriage in philippineconsulate for wjat purpose?
Good Question.
Philippine Government wants to keep tabs on their people?
The extra income for reporting is handy?
There may be a logical reason, but as many countries do NOT do this, it does seem odd.
What if an unmarried Philippine national who cannot lawfully marry within the Philippines gets married in the United States? Can that marriage be registered with the Philippines and be considered valid upon return to the country?
That might depend on the reason why an unmarried Philippine national is not allowed to marry in the Philippines.
I am aware of a situation where a Philippine national, married in the Philippines, gets a divorce in another country, and remarries. But that divorce is not recognised in the Philippines, due to still being married by Philippine law, and therefore neither is the new marriage recognised.
Is there any problem or complications if I don’t report my marriage and not change my passport to a married name to my embassy and I’m married in Europe and I have temporary permit for 5 years?
Is it okay to have temporary permit but don’t have new passport to a married name while living here?
I feel that there is no issue in not reporting, until the time that you need to renew a Philippine passport and get it in the married name.
In regard to marriages outside the Philippines:
I am aware of some that have NEVER reported the marriage, and have NOT renewed a Philippine passport. No problems encountered.
I am aware of some who have NOT reported and had the Philippine passport renewed in the original unmarried name. Again no issues. (didn’t say they were married)
I am aware of having to do a late report, and paying extra, to get a passport in the new married name.
Hello there ,how can i register my marriage in mauritius civil registry in port louis.with a french national and i am a filipino citizen.i want to register it here in philippines.thank you
That was a good question.
Normally all births, deaths and marriages should be reported to the Civil Registrar where the event occurred.
However, the PSA does say:
If registration of birth or death is not possible in the place of occurrence, report the event in the office of the civil registrar in the nearest or most accessible city or municipality.
You could try that for the marriage. Otherwise, sending the info to the Philippine embassy in the country of marriage might be the way to do it.
Even for Births and Deaths, the website states: The local civil registrar should accept the documents to be forwarded to the civil registrar of the city or municipality where the birth or death happened and where it should be registered.
Hello Admin, Your post is really a help in my part since unbeknownst I am now facing this problem. I would like to ask if this is all applicable in any European country? I mean, I was Wed in Bulgaria, I have now the apostilled copy of my marriage contract, however, I am in Vietnam. Upon receiving the documents, I wanted to change the marital status in my passport but then, this problem occurs. The information you stated in one of your reply for comment was for the country of Belgium. I am just second-guessing if for Brussels need to be translated in french or dutch, then if for Bulgaria needs to be in Bulgarian. I hope I’m right. If you have any information, please share. Thank you so much.
We had to do it in Australia, and I know it is done in Germany. I assume it is a requirement no matter what country you are in.
You need to contact the embassy in your location, for any specific details.
The form for those in Germany is printed in English, with German added as a translation.
Forms for Bulgaria are at: https://budapestpe.dfa.gov.ph/91-downloads (The Report of Marriage form at Bulgaria is in English only)
This is from the Philippine embassy in Bulgaria.
Original and five (5) copies of Marriage Contract (with appropriate English text in Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and Republic of Serbia (If document is not in English, kindly have the document translated into English and have the translation notarized.)
Thanks, Admin. upon further research we had to contact the consulate of Bulgaria since the consulate here in Vietnam forwarded my inquiries in our PSA portal. We are still waiting for the response. Thank you once again :).
Hello Iris..same concern here..where did you register your marriage certificate (from Bulgaria) here in the Philippines? Thank you
Hi- I would like to ask.
I am a filipino national, got married in Macedonia last year September but we are leaving in Dubai. I wanted to renew my passport & use my married name. I am aware that we need to register our marriage However, there’s no Philippine Embassy in Macedonia. Can you please advise me where to go and what’s the alternative procedure? Your response is highly appreciated & thanks very much!
You need to use the Embassy in Rome, Italy.
https://romepe.dfa.gov.ph/2015-10-20-02-06-24/report-of-marriage
Consular Jurisdiction over the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) transferred from the Philippine Embassy in Athens to the Philippine Embassy in Rome, on 5th April 2017.
https://athenspe.dfa.gov.ph/newsroom/announcements/632-consular-jurisdiction-over-fyrom
Is it necessary to go their personally? Or we can email or mail our documents? Thanks for your response.
We did ours by mail.
Hello, I have tried the website of the Embassy here in Brussels as I am a Luxembourg resident but the links of the necessary forms are not working. I have tried to contact them to no avail.
Could you please help. I need to register our marriage so we will be able to request an immigrant visa before moving to the Philippines by March 2020.
Thank you,
Anna Gatchalian
I just looked at the Brussels site and they seem to have messed up their links. It was updated 3 weeks ago.
The ‘Report of Marriage Form’ appears to be the same in all countries, so you could download one from any Philippine embassy, complete it and submit it.
The one from the Australian embassy: https://www.philembassy.org.au/consular/report-of-marriage should work. (this is not overstamped with any country name)
(https://dms.philembassy.org.au/index.php/website/download-forms/other-consular-services/50-report-of-marriage-form/file)
This is the one from the Embassy in France: https://parispe.dfa.gov.ph/images/REPORT_OF_MARRIAGE_Requirements_as_of_September_2019.pdf
It has more info although related to France, but the actual form is the same one as the rest of the world.
We submitted ours by post, so you could download that and submit to your local embassy.
The Brussels office has one at: https://brusselspe.dfa.gov.ph/images/2018/Forms/Report-Marriage-Form.pdf but not as clear an image.
I saw this on the Embassy site in Brussels:
Mabuhay! We are currently working hard to improve and update the official website of the Philippine Embassy in Brussels. In the meantime, you may reach us via facebook..
Link for various Forms: https://brusselspe.dfa.gov.ph/example-pages
After some searching I found a cached page of the correct page at: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:uPKZIF5rwO8J:https://brusselspe.dfa.gov.ph/83-consular-services+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au
It might work for you.
It had this:
The birth of a Filipino should be reported to and registered with the Philippine Statistics Authority through the Embassy/Consulate General having jurisdiction over the locality where the event took place. The Report should be registered within 30 days from the date of birth of the child.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
Four (4) original duly-accomplished Report of Birth forms. The forms may be downloaded or may be accomplished and printed from this webpage.
When applying by mail, the portion for witnesses must be duly-filled out. The forms should be notarized.
Report of Birth fee – € 22.50
Four (4) photocopies of parents’ valid passports and identity cards
Original and four (4) photocopies of DFA-authenticated Marriage Certificate of the parents, if married in the Philippines OR Foreign Marriage Contract (Extract of Marriage Registration – International version) legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if married in Belgium or Luxembourg (original will be returned)
Original and three (3) photocopies of the Birth certificate of the child (Extract from Birth Registration – International version) from the city hall, legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium/Luxembourg
For parent/s who is/are dual citizens, four (4) photocopies of Order of Approval or Petition for Reacquisition of Philippine Citizenship, indicating the name of the child as a minor-beneficiary of the parent’s re-acquisition of Philippine citizenship.
Four (4) pieces of passport size photos of the child
Self-addressed return envelope, with appropriate stamps, if Report of Birth is to be mailed back.
Additional requirements for delayed registration of Report of Birth
(For registration after 30 days from the date of birth of the child)
Original Affidavit for delayed registration signed by parent/s Click here to download form
Notarial fee for the affidavit – € 22.50
For cases of delayed registration of report of birth when both parents are already foreign nationals, the former Filipino parent/s must present the Certificate of his/her Naturalization.
The Consular Officer may require additional proof or documents from applicant to determine the child’s citizenship, identity, or eligibility for registration of birth under Philippine laws.
Report of Marriage
The marriage of a Filipino/s should be reported to and registered with the Philippine Statistics Authority through the Embassy/Consulate having jurisdiction over the locality where the marriage took place. The Report should be registered within 30 days from the date of marriage.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
1.) Report of Marriage Form
a. Entries must be TYPEWRITTEN OR PRINTED LEGIBLY
b. Entries must be at the time of marriage
c. to be submitted in four (4) originals
2.) Marriage Contract/Certificate
a. You may submit either one of the following:
Certified True Copy of Marriage Registration in Dutch or French , together with an English translation that is legalized by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (with three (3) photocopies)
Extract from Marriage Registration (international version), legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (with three (3) photocopies)
3.) Birth Certificate of Both Parties (four photocopies each)
a. For Filipino Citizens: Authenticated birth certificate issued by the NSO
b. For Foreign Nationals: Extract from Birth Registration, international version
4.) Passport of both parties used at the time of marriage (4 photocopies)
5.) Four (4) recent passport size photos of both parties
6) Report of Marriage fee – €22.50
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
For delayed registration of marriage (beyond 30 days after marriage)
– Joint Affidavit for Delayed Registration signed by the couple (Notarial fee – €22.50)
For divorced or annulled or legally separated Filipino spouse:
– Submit copy of Marriage contract from the NSO with proper annotation, and authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
For widowed Filipino spouse:
– Submit DFA-authenticated Death Certificate issued by the NSO or foreign death certificate (international version) of previous spouse
For divorced, annulled or legally separated foreign spouse:
– Submit copy of foreign decree/decision with English translation
For widowed foreign spouse:
– Submit Death Certificate (international version) of previous spouse