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Marriage in the Philippines

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself' started by Paul Bisp, Apr 2, 2018.

  1. Paul Bisp
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    Paul Bisp New Member

    Hi, I am getting married in the Philippines in July. I have read a lot of things on the internet regarding documents needed, total confused with what I actual need. Can anyone help me with regards to what I need to take with me.
  2. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

  3. Paul Bisp
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    Paul Bisp New Member

    I have all those documents, but keep reading about cenomar and cedula. Can you tell me if I will need to get these or if it just applies to my fiancee
  4. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    Cenomar normally no but some local government offices in the Philippines ask for it check locally. I didn' need one!
    Cedula no
  5. Stellar
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    Stellar BANNED AGAIN

    A cedula is like a residence certificate. Not sure why you would need one as a marriage requirement. I needed one as one of my job requirements. They are easily obtained at most , although not all barangay halls. For reasons that are unclear, not all of them can be obtained at that most local level and sometimes you have to go to the bigger municipal or city hall to get one. It cost next to nothing - less than 100 pesos and I found it strange because even though it is supposed to be a proof of residence, they didn't ask me for any proof of residence like an electricity or water bill. They just took my word for it that I was residing where I said I was. It is one of the few documents in the Philippines that you apply for where they don't need a passport-type photograph, they just take a thumbprint as ID. You should always have plenty of passport-type photos on you in the Philippines normally though. It seems that everywhere you turn round, somebody asks for one.
  6. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    You may also be asked for a Cedula, also known as a Community Tax Certificate, it depends on location They cost just a few Pesos, certainly less than 100 and you get one from the local city treasurer's office.
  7. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    Surely that is only for a Filipino resident?
  8. Stellar
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    Stellar BANNED AGAIN

    there is no rhyme and reason to bureaucratic procedures in the Philippines, so what happened to one person may not happen to another.

    getting my cedula was not possible at my local barangay hall, unlike with some other people in different barangays so I had to go to the Cebu city hall to get mine. They insisted on seeing my ACR card, and a passport was not enough, which was a nuisance because even though I had applied for and paid for it, it had not yet arrived.

    but that is not to say everyone will need an ACR card to get a cedula. In another city, or even in the same city or just on another day, or with a different official, you might not need one to get a cedula.
  9. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Er, no - just as with Cenomar, it depends entirely on how the local Registrar interprets the law which is not written with marriages to foreigners in mind. Blind adherence to the rules trumps common sense!

    I did hear of one instance where the foreigner was told to bring his NSO Birth Certificate!
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 2, 2018
  10. Stellar
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    Stellar BANNED AGAIN

    they have a seeming obsession with birth certificates. I needed to show them a copy of that for nearly everything.

    you are also asked what your religion is on a lot of forms even though with some of them you can't help but wonder what possible reason your religion, if any, has got to do with what the form is supposed to be about.

    I eventually decided to just always say that I am Catholic as it just made life easier. If you say that you are something else, or worse than that say that you have no religion at all, then it just spurs this silly, pointless conversation about what the 'other' religion is. If you say that you have no religion, this will upset them as if you've just told them you have a severe illness. They'll say how sorry they are, and give you their heartfelt commiserations.

    you will constantly be asked for your mother's maiden name. Do they ask you for that on every form that you have to fill in in the UK?

    they have trouble understanding naming conventions that don't fit in with their own Spanish ones. If you have three Christian names like David Ralph George Smith, then you'll be there for an extra 10 minutes than you would if you only have two. They can't get their heads round it.
  11. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    For an object lesson in naked pointlessness, try explaining why you, an Englishman, don't have a patronimic to a Russian official. I had such a conversation with a security officer charged with issuing press credentials during the Yeltsin years. It went on and on and on,
  12. Stellar
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    Stellar BANNED AGAIN

    all the form-filling is time-consuming and rather tedious. Waiting times for your number to come up can be long. Sitting in rooms filled with dozens of people you are the only foreigner among is required. If the TV that is usually there in public buildings is on the blink or out of range of their line of sight, then looking for some entertainment to while away the time, they may very well focus on you to provide some, as the novelty foreigner. Random strangers will approach you to ask about, among other things, your civil status, the number and the ages of your siblings, and of course what your nationality is.

    my advice here is don't tell them that you are British. If you do, it is very possible that they might look at you in a strange way, and suspect that you may be a vampire.

    rather like it being on the whole best to tell them that you a Catholic when they ask about your religion, it can also be prudent, when approached by total strangers asking random questions, to disclose to them that you are from the United States, as this is the country they will usually normally assume that you are from anyway.

    Once you tell them you are from the USA, there is about a 50% chance that they will further ask you what state you are from like New York, or Colorado etc, but about as many as that won't bother. Half of them are satisfied if you just say you are from the USA and they don't need any further information. The good news is that almost none of them can recognise the difference between a British and an American accent, so you don't have to expend the effort putting on a phoney one.
  13. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    How would a Brit get one or is a case of "shut up and pay"
  14. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    Just walk-up to the counter at City Hall, produce a Passport, a few low denomination notes and a pocketful of coins including washers and ask for a Cedula. Simples!
  15. Paul Bisp
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    Paul Bisp New Member

    is there any way that my fiancee can start processing the paperwork with a scanned copy of my affirmation before i get to the Philippines to get original signed
  16. graham59
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    graham59 Banned

    She really needs to pop into the local City Hall, or wherever the Registrar hangs out, and ask there. They often have slightly different requirements, but will almost certainly be able to advise her, and give a printed list of documentation to be produced, plus fees.
  17. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    no
    • Agree Agree x 1
  18. Paul Bisp
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    Paul Bisp New Member

    so there is no way to process the marriage licence before i arrive in the Philippines, even if my fiancee take the email showing my appointment at the embassy
  19. Mattecube
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    Mattecube face the sunshine so shadows fall behind you Trusted Member

    no
  20. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    No. Your physical presence is required as well as your fiancée's when applying for a marriage licence.

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