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Re-acquisition of Filipino nationality

Discussion in 'Migrating to the Philippines' started by Methersgate, May 9, 2014.

  1. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Can someone point me, or rather my son Alex, who was born in Manila to a Filipina mother and an British father, to a sound source of advice on this?

    Alex dropped his Filipino citizenship when he thought he wanted to join the RN, but since then his career ideas have altered in favour of merchant shipping, where dual citizenship is an asset.

    We are UK resident.

    Thanks!
  2. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Did he explicitly drop his citizenship Andrew via the Philippine Embassy and what age is he now? I believe that children born to a Filipino have citizenship no matter where they were born, I guess the position and process for re-acquisition might be different to the Administrative procedure for divorcee's.
  3. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    If the loss of citizenship can be seen as via the process of naturalisation then RA 9225 will apply and he should be able to get it back easily, but I'm not sure if that would be the case here.
  4. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Thanks. He was of course born with dual nationality; he held a Filipino passport as a little boy but has used his British one since then. His Filipino passport has expired. He never expressly renounced his citizenship, but I had the idea that he needed to do something once he was 18 in order to keep it (he is now 19). He does still have his Filipino birth certificate.
    Last edited: May 9, 2014
  5. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    He's fine then, he's still Filipino should not even need RA 9225 Andrew.

    Actually he might just possibly still need RA 9225 if his acquisition of British Citizenship were considered to have lost him his Filipino nationality via naturalisation, however I would just go to the Phils on his Brit passport and get him to apply for his Filipino passport while he is there.
  6. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Can he not apply at the Embassy here?

    Just apply for a new passport maybe?
  7. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Yeah sure, that would make sense worth a go.
  8. blue_acid
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    blue_acid Member Trusted Member

    Check with the embassy if his passport can still be renewed but he would need to have his expired passport with him.

    Not sure with the legalities or the whole process but once you are a foreign citizen and want to re-acquire your Filipino citizenship, it is possible since the Philippines recognizes dual citizenship. Just check with the embassy how the process is.
  9. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    thanks; needless to say, being a boy, he has lost his old Passport!
  10. blue_acid
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    blue_acid Member Trusted Member

    As far as I know, if he had his old passport, he can renew it with a fee but if he has lost it, I am not sure if they would accept an affidavit of loss but then he would need his old passport number.
  11. subseastu
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    subseastu I'm Bruce Wayne Lifetime Member

    I believe this would just be the same process as when someone's wife has become British by naturalisation and wants to re - acquire her filipino citizenship as well.

    Just looked as I thought I had the paperwork with us for when we where going to do it in London but it's different requirements when your out here. From what I remember just go on the embassy website and search petition for dual citizenship, that should give you the info.

    From what I remember it's copies of passport, NSO stamped cert of live birth, naturalisation cert. Passport photos, Photocopies of everything.

    I think the form is RA 9225, children over 18 are treated the same as a spouse I believe, Google citizenship retention and re acquisition of 2003. I think that's still valid
  12. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Thanks. Found it.
  13. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Not happy news.

    Alex and his mother (my ex-wife, Ruby) went to the Philippines Embassy yesterday, armed with their Birth Certificates, old Philippine Passports, current UK Passports and in Ruby's case her naturalisation papers.

    The interview was conducted entirely in Tagalog, which Alex does not speak; when Alex asked the woman to use English she laughed in his face and. continued talking to his mother in Tagalog.

    She demanded NSO Birth Certificates which they don't have.

    Can anyone advise on how a UK resident gets one?

    She also informed Ruby that she could only have a new passport in her maiden name (old passport was in her married name!) because she had not registered her marriage (she had, at the Philippines Consulate in HK, which is why her passport, already renewed once in the UK, was in her married name...)

    She then tried to insist on retaining Ruby's original British Naturalisation Certificate.

    All in all, annoying.
  14. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Andrew try here for the online application http://www.census.gov.ph/civil-registration-services/online-applications-e-census as far as I know several types of documents can be requested and can be delivered anywhere in the world.

    Someone recently told me that Philippine birth certificates expire in I think as little as 6 months so you have to keep getting new ones issued, crazy if true.

    The treatment of your son at the interview is appalling, the language of government is supposed to be officially English, totally out of order that.
  15. Markham
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    Markham Guest

    You can apply for copies of birth and marriage certificates online using the NSO's ecensus web site at a cost of $20 each. They take most credit cards and will mail the certificates abroad - at extra cost. It might be safer - and probably cheaper - to have the certificates delivered to someone living in country and have them FedEx the documents to you in the UK.

    I know exactly how Alex feels and this happens (almost) all the time in the Philippines. If I'm with Mae, "they" always converse with Mae and for all practical purposes, ignore me entirely. There are only two places that I have visited where this hasn't happened: our local Bureau of Immigration (but not the one in Cebu) and Davao Doctors' Hospital. Such behaviour is often complained about on Expat Forums and one of the possible reasons (put forward by a Filipina who was shocked to learn of the rudeness) is that customer service agents and government officials don't want the possible embarrassment of using their less than perfect English with a native speaker.
  16. oss
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    oss Somewhere Staff Member

    Ah that's the one I was looking for Mark, I thought they had just changed the site.
  17. Methersgate
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    Methersgate Well-Known Member Lifetime Member

    Thanks very much.

    Alex is off to Rio to join a ship on Monday so he can sort it when he comes back
    Last edited: May 23, 2014
  18. subseastu
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    subseastu I'm Bruce Wayne Lifetime Member

    Other beat me to it regards the website. The NSO is pretty good. I recently ordered 2 copies of the wife's birth cert and our marriage cert. All came in petty quick time. Sounds like the ex-wife got someone who got out the wrong side of bed. When we tried the embassy in London they where pleasant to us, we didn't have NSO certified certs either.

    I don't think there is an expiry date on the certs that NSO issue to be honest. As long as there are certified by them your good to go.
  19. subseastu
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    subseastu I'm Bruce Wayne Lifetime Member

    What does your lad do on board Andrew? What ship is he joining?
  20. blue_acid
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    blue_acid Member Trusted Member

    Generally, NS issued certificates are valid for 6 months. Some would even have to have an annotation on what it will be used for

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