How to get filipino citizenship if i am married to a filipina

Jeez Cheng you dont make things easy do you ?, so you need to get a copy of your marriage certificate then use Balikbayan privilege, if you cant do that then I dont think the Philippines are issuing visas at the moment, and if you wait like Bigmac suggests you could have a very long wait , personally you need to make up your mind what you want to do then do it, which means get a copy of your marriage cert or wait until the Philippines issues Visas again, the Marriage cert you can do something about, visa issue you can only wait indefinately.

Yes, the BB is operating again........disclaimer - at the time of writing

You really must try to get hold of a certified copy of your marriage certificate. Were you married in UK or Philippines? The certificate must be PSA registered, red-ribboned. 9A visas are being issued but again only to spouses of Filipinos or parents of Filipino children, so you will need the marriage certificate/birth certificate still. Once here, the visit visa can be extended in 2 or 6 month increments (not all offices will issue 6 months) at most major BI offices, for a total period of 3 years, at which point your husband would need to leave the country, fly back in and start another 3 years.

Hello, so when we arrived in the philippines i will just show our marriage certificate.. Is it ok if we book a one way ticket then after 1yr we will apply for permanent resident in the philippines

Read this link it is simple, then once your in think about the next step

https://www.philippineconsulatela.org/useful-links/balikbayan-program-for-overseas-filipinos

As Mattecube says its relatively simple, you just ask for Balikbayan privilege at Immigration when you arrive together with your spouse, however please note the additional requirements due to covid which are,

(b) You/They must have a pre-booked quarantine facility;

(c) You/They must have a pre-booked COVID-19 testing at a laboratory operating at the airport;

(d) They are subject to the maximum capacity of inbound passengers at the port of entry and during the date of entry.

Now back to your marriage certificate, on some websites it says your marriage certificate must be PSA Authenticated or Apostillised, on other websites it makes no mention of that, so i would suggest its best if you can get a PSA Authenticated/Apostillised copy then that will eliminate any chance of you being refused Balikbayan privilege on arrival. Good luck to you both.

Only got balikbayan privilege once when went back with wife after marriage when we returned to Philippines. Only had UK marriage certificate as issued for that one.

I understand the persons question etc.. But if her husband became a citizen.. Cant he then buy land etc? And own property?... If i end up retiring.. I would probably give up my british citizenship and have a filipino one... Each to their own those i guess

Most of thats not needed.. You cant exactly say you can get all that on nhs.. As you cant... As it is shown this past 18 months.. Its not fit for purpose.. So thats alot of that invalid im afraid as if you need that treatment as it stands..yoh would have to use you own savings to get it done.. And again.. Pretty sure its 5 times more expensive going private than is is using philippines hospital
Again its personal preference and opinion

NHS treatment is still happening for things like cancer - had friend who had full cancer treatment including several weeks in hospital not so long ago. Still doing scans and other treatments - I had CT scan and spinal nerve block done in the last 18 months all on NHS.

Reminded by this conversation of wife telling me of someone she knew on Facebook who had covid and stuck at home and couldn't get oxygen as couldn't go to hospital in Philippines.

Given a choice I know where I want to be treated and it isn't Philippines. If have money and can get to a decent hospital (and outside of Manila or Cebu not sure much I would compare with NHS hospitals I've lived near and even there would have to be selective). Not even sure will get into a hospital unless they feel you have ability to pay and if treated in private hospital they can hold you until you have paid and hospitals all seem to want cash not credit or debit cards.

Getting to a hospital isn't simple in an emergency as no national ambulance service - was a concern when wife and kids were in Philippines in event if accident.

Don't particularly like idea of owning property or buying in Philippines. Renting is potentially better option as if area goes downhill can easily move. We rented in Philippines for about 2.5 years and felt like area was going down in that period.

Never visited bureau of taxes but the SSS was a nightmare to visit to get things done. Goodbye to a half day or more to get through the queues.

Getting driving license card for wife was a nightmare as they ran out of cards to print them on for several years.

Need replacement passport for wife soon and nightmare getting appointment at embassey to do it think 4 months to get appointment compared to British and Irish passport process which is on line.

Need to live in Philippines to really understand some of frustrations and limitations and having to apply for visas to go anywhere is a real pain. Only plus at moment is can't travel so not an issue and at least kids have British passports so only one visa required.

Giving up a strong passport is something that should consider very carefully. I'm trying to get my kids as many as possible now and Philippines isn't the priority one.

many years back i had an abdominal scan for possible stones--none--but it did pick up that i had an aortic aneurism elsewhere--and i knew nothing about it. It wasnt considered urgent--but i had ultrasound scans every year to see if it was reaching bursting point ( not a good idea ).
In 2016--a few weeks before we got married--it was decided i need to be operated on--and soon. This meant a 3 night stay in Southampton General and an operation under the supervision of an american specialist surgeon. A stent was fitted, i was unconscious for several hours.
Ive been fine ever since-=-regular usound scans confirm its al OK.

I dread to think what it would all cost..but with the NHS--nothing.

I have zero interest in going to the Philippines. If i want pretty scenery and beaches i just walk down the road.

https://www.divinalaw.com/dose-of-law/naturalization-pathway-filipino-citizenship/

Can a foreigner become a citizen in the Philippines?

Foreign nationals can be naturalized and eventually become Filipino citizens. ... Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines. Those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority, and. Those who are naturalized in accordance with law ...



The invention of the jet engine has made the world smaller. The various modes of transportation with all their technologically enhanced features facilitated unprecedented migration. People in droves instantly travel for business, employment or even for leisure. The means of travel, most particularly by air, enabled foreigners to flock to the Philippines in large numbers.

Recently, the county noticed the influx of many Koreans into the country, whether as students learning English in schools or businessmen playing a round of golf or two. At present, we experience a phenomenon of Chinese ‘invasion’. Several Chinese nationals are coming to the Philippines either as workers in the thriving online gaming industry, or as investors buying condominium units or establishing various businesses. This is not to discount other nationalities arriving to the Philippines.

Foreigners, however, under certain provisions of Article XII of the 1987 Constitution on National Economy and Patrimony cannot own land or invest in stock equity of corporations engaged in certain nationalized economic activities. As foreigners, they do not enjoy the political and civil rights of a Filipino citizen.

But, can foreigners become citizens of the Philippines? The answer is in the affirmative. Foreign nationals can be naturalized and eventually become Filipino citizens.

Section 1, Article 4 of the 1987 Constitution enumerates who are the citizens of the Philippines as follows:

1. Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the adoption of this Constitution
2. Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the Philippines
3. Those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers, who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of majority, and
4. Those who are naturalized in accordance with law.

From the above enumeration, our Filipino citizenship is based on ‘jus sanguinis’ principle which is founded on blood relationships with one’s parents. This is different from the ‘jus soli’ principle where citizenship is grounded on one’s place of birth. Foreigners, who do not have Filipino blood, nevertheless, can obtain Philippine citizenship under number 4 of the enumeration through naturalization.

Naturalization signifies the act of formally adopting a foreigner into the political body of a nation by clothing him or her with the privileges of a citizen. Under current and existing laws, there are three ways by which an alien may become a citizen by naturalization: (a) administrative naturalization pursuant to RA No. 9139; (b) judicial naturalization pursuant to C.A. No. 473, as amended, and (c) legislative naturalization in the form of a law enacted by Congress bestowing Philippine citizenship to an alien (Edison So v. Republic of the Philippines, GR. No. 170603, January 29, 2007).

Administrative naturalization is provided for under Republic Act 9139, otherwise known as “The Administrative Naturalization Law of 2000”. The applicant must be a foreigner who was born, who studied and has resided in the Philippines since birth and must be at least 18 years old at the time of filing the petition.

The application process is commenced by filing a verified petition with the Office of the Special Committee on Naturalization (SCN) at the Office of the Solicitor General. The petition is then published once a week for three consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation. The petition will be furnished to pertinent government agencies like the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for clearance and lack of derogatory record on the petitioner. The SCN, who has the power to approve or deny the petition is composed of the (1) Solicitor General as Chairman, (2) the Secretary of Foreign Affairs or his duly authorized representative and (3) the National Security Adviser as members.

But of course it is not advisable due to many Pros and Cons and it’s mainly Cons to be honest, to become a citizen of the Philippines as for example; many foreigners were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf in the past. If your foreign spouse become Philippines citizens, British Embassy will not get involved with your problems if you are in the Philippines. Also, if your spouse has medical conditions, it is not advisable to be in the Philippines. Here in the UK, we have the best when it comes to medical facilities thanks to NHS!

In honesty even if your british there's little the brit embassy will do if you get into trouble in the PI, a friend of mine spent three and a half years without charge locked up in the Philippines, british embassy couldn't really do nadda.

I heard today of someone in the PI whose child was born premature, cost them just over 200,000 peso. Always be thankful for the NHS its the same as cash, better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it

Not fit for purpose!!

Try telling that to the student nurse who has been spat at, verbally abused and more by the drunk who has had a fall on a pissed up saturday night out

Try telling that to the doctors and nurses who watch people pass away in front of them

Try telling that to the trauma medical teams that have to make end of life decisions when no more can be medically done

Try telling that to the doctors and nurses who have to tell bereaved families that a loved one has passed away

Try telling that to the emergency responders

Try telling that to the midwife who has to telll a new mother to be that her child she was expecting hasnt made it

Try telling that when you have a medical emergency and need swift help