New style affirmation to marry from 1st March 2014

I'm getting married soon and want to understand clearly what this means. Will the embassy supply me with a Cenomar? Or will they simply rubber stamp the affirmation/ affidavit? And will this be acceptable for marriage in the Philippines instead of a cenomar?

A Cenomar is simply a Certificate of No Marriage and it is equivalent to the UK CNI (Certificate of No Impediment to Marry) that the Embassy used to issue, but no longer does. The replacement affirmation/affidavit is apparently accepted.

Sunnyjim. Where are you now? Are you out in the Philippines? If so a quick visit to the embassy might not be a bad idea. My wife and I found out and confirmed what we needed to know by dropping in.

Hopefully the local authorities wont be slow on the uptake with these new changes.

If in doubt, get both.

Good thinking.

Both what, Maharg?

I think what Maharg means is to try and cover all possible eventualities. Which is the approach I would take. But I would certainly seek clarification from the UKBA.

Lets see what Maharg says when he resurfaces...

Yes. That was what I meant. If in doubt get everything.

Sunnyjim:

As a foreigner, you do not need a Cenomar, just the new style affirmation/affidavit together with photocopies of your Divorce Decree Absolute or Death Certificate - both the British Embassy and the local Registrar will retain those copies. In any event, Cenomars are issued by the National Statistics Office and relate to Philippine citizens only. Your fiancée will require a Cenomar, however.

You may not need to go to the British Embassy in Manila to get your affirmation/affidavit as I believe that this document can be requested from Tamsin Booth, the Hon British Consul in Cebu. I suggest you email her Tamsin.Booth@fconet.fco.gov.uk to confirm this. If she can issue this document, her fee will be the same as the Embassy's but you will of course save the travel expense to and from Manila.

Many thanks Markham. I have emailed Ms Booth. I'll let you know the outcome.

Yes, please do

If you have any problems with regards to organising your wedding and need advice, then do contact my old mate Paul Whiteway who owns and runs Cebu Expat Services. He's got far more experience in dealing with local and central government authorities than anyone else I know in the Philippines and will be able to advise and help you. His advice is free but he does charge for his services - such as getting Visa Extensions, Drivers Licences, wedding planning etc. And if you're a a fan of rock music, he and another British Expat, Mickey Dobie (who played with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch - remember them?!!) get together with some local musicians every weekend at a venue just north of Consolacion for a "jam session". If you play or want to sing, you'd be most welcome, I'm sure.

My email:

Ms Booth's reply:

Hmmmm. A copy-and-paste answer methinks. It doesn't directly answer the question I asked.

This doesn't answer your question on Cebu but might help with your original question....

So it takes some of the ambiguity away by stating...."that you no longer need to secure a UK-issued CNI prior to your entry to the Philippines"

Jim. Have you tried asking the said local authorities if they will take the new style documentation?

I know the email says they will but sometimes the right hand doesnt know what the left is doing...

Hmmm. No I haven't. How do I go about asking until I have the affirmation in my hand? And I'm £55 plus a flight to Manila worse off!

I mean the authority in the region you are marrying. Or is that out of the question?

When we mariried the authority was City Hall ( I seem to recall ) in Paranaque, for example. Which was just across the road from where we married.

I would ask them if they are okay with the new arrangement, just to be on the safe side.

We had issues with changes to the visa process when they streamlined the language test requirement a couple of yeras ago. What the UKBA put out in email and on their website didnt match reality for a while. Hence I would proceed with caution like Maharg.

You will have to go through a local authority to process the marriage documentation. And possibly go through their seminar.

As Micawber says. Minimise the risks.

I would email her again and ask if she can issue the affirmation/affidavit.

As this change in documentation is so new, I'd suggest that you process your Marriage License in Cebu City rather than anywhere else on the island. The Registrar there should be more au fait with the latest changes. But that doesn't mean that you have to marry in Cebu City if you'd prefer to marry at one of the resorts on Mactan (such as Blue Lagoon, for example).

We're marrying on her home island of Bohol...

Will you be going back there in the interim? Then you could check. Better to be safe than sorry.

Then I suggest you get your fiancée to print a copy of the standard form of the affidavit, which is on the Embassy's web site, and show it to the Registrar in Tagbiliran. However, that (affidavit/affirmation) is all you'll get from the Embassy/Consulate; if the Registrar won't accept it and insists on a Cenomar, then - and only then - you will have a problem. (For which there is an easy answer and it's called "Hong Kong"!)