Marriage in the philippines

Apostle birth certificate, divorce and any important documents.  You ll have to prove you are not married and prove your identity.  If your going to move to the Philippines then you'll have to either play the tourist visa extension game, do a srrv or 13a.  If you plan on bring her to Canada then check on what Canada immigration requires of you.  Make sure she hasn't been married Philippines doesn't have divorce, they have annulment but are fairly rare.  If she has children ask for copies of her children's birth certificates, check them over carefully as it should have legitimate info ie: marriage of parents.   I have a friend who married a women and she lied to him about her being married and it is a big mess still 17 years later. 

Hello, Surfer

All of the info Smithta gave is accurate., especially to check for kiddos.  Unfortunately, there's not an easy way to find out the facts other than her word or that of her family.

Marriages are recorded and registered in city halls.

You should obrain a police clearance before you leave.  Also bring a notarized copy of any divorce paperwork and birth certificate.

The pre-marriage process will take anywhere up to a week before they will issue a certificate called a ”CENOMAR” (certificate of no marriage) that gives you the right to marry. The CENOMAR process should uncover any legal issues she has. It should also uncover previous marriages that were registered.

Your fiancee should obtain a PSA (Philippines Statistics Authority) certified birth certificate if she doesn't have one as well.

A word of warning,  though…expect to make a few visits to city hall before getting the CENOMAR. Much of the goverment here still operates on paperwork, even with computers sitting on many desks. Once here ”You aren't in Kansas any more!” Expect delays and enjoy your time together.

Thank you for all the advice.

I obtained a certificate from the province of Ontario that there is no record of my marriage between 2005 and 2024 is that enough proof of for the "Statement in lieu of certificate of non-impediment to marriage abroad"  or should i apply at the Canadian embassy in Cebu city. This issue is very confusing.

Can I ask windsurfer51 if you have met and spent a lot of time with your lady? Been and spent time in the Philippines?

Just a thought.

Cheers, Steve.

@windsurfer51

That may work. Have your lady go to the office in city hall that processes marriage paperwork and ask for a complete list of requirements & write them down. Then have her send you the list.

There may be reqirements that the city has implemented other than the “standard”  paperwork. early checking affords you the time to gather other requirements.

You may also look for the city's web site, then search further….

Good luck!

You will have to make an appointment at the Canadian embassy in Manila to swear an oath that you are legally free to marry, without that you will not be able to get a marriage licence. Also if you were previously married you will need to bring a certified copy of your divorce certificate and also your birth certificate.

@bigpearl.

I have spent Nov, Dec 2023 and Jan 2024 with her and met her online at my birthday in June and have spent a lot of time talking.

@FindlayMacD

I did some research and i can send the necessary paperwork to the address listed below, I was kind of wondering if anybody had any experience with doing that. I have to get some papers notarized with lawyer tomorrow and hope to get the paperwork there soon.

Consulate of Canada

RD Corporate Center

96 Governor M.C. Cuenco Avenue

Banilad, Cebu City 6000

@windsurfer51

I don't think you can simply send paperwork I think you have to appear in person to swear an oath.

@windsurfer51

Enjoy the ride.

Cheers, Steve.

@windsurfer51

  If you plan on bring her to Canada then check on what Canada immigration requires of you.

Also check out Old Dog New Tricks latest video on repatriating Filipino women🙄

Just wondering if anybody has actually gone thru the process ?

@windsurfer51 most important is a record of no marriage or whatever it's called where you're from. Basically proof that you're not married and it needs to be internationally notorized..apostille. Of course you'll need your birth certificate also.

@windsurfer51

In my opinion those year ranges of no marriage will not be proof enough that you are not married to someone now.

What you need to prove is that if you were EVER married at ANY time that a Divorce was Granted and produce those documents in order to receive a CENOMAR.

For example in my case I had two previous marriages before moving here. I had to provide the Granted Divorce Docs for each marriage proving I was single and not currently married to anyone before I was granted a CENOMAR.

The year or years in which any marriage took place is not the point. The point is, if there was ANY marriage or marriages at ANY point in time and was a divorce Granted so that now you are legally Single and free to marry.

This is what you will have to bring with you as proof.

I'm curious: how do you prove a negative? I.e., that you were never married? I suppose I would need that if I marry my girl here. But what sort of U.S document(s) would show/prove "never married?"

@bizwizard Google record of no marriage in whatever state you're from. Then contact that state agency and request a record of no marriage certificate. Pay and then wait for it to come in the mail. I got mine from my 18th birthday all the way through my present age just to be sure I wouldn't have any problems. But I doubt you need to do that but I like to cover my butt double..less problems in life that way.

@bizwizard also, you will need to get that record of no marriage apostilled in your state (internationally recognized notary)

@windsurfer51

If you are planning to return to your Home Country, after the wedding. Try to marry in a Church. Many countries don't recognise Municipality Weddings in the Philippines. My Wife and I were Married in a Catholic Church, and had no problems moving to Germany.

Thanks, Nick,

That sounds like a fun process if you're living in the Philippines, requiring at least one special trip back to the US just to get the document apostilled.

I've lived in 5 states and one foreign country since I was 18, had drivers' licenses in 4 or 5 states. I would hope a document from CA where I lived between age 29 and moving here would do.

But then again, I might not want to get married....

Thanks, Rammers, but I'm here to stay.

However, I might want to get married in Thailand or Hong Kong to make a divorce possible if necessary (and she agrees).

    @windsurfer51
If you are planning to return to your Home Country, after the wedding. Try to marry in a Church. Many countries don't recognise Municipality Weddings in the Philippines. My Wife and I were Married in a Catholic Church, and had no problems moving to Germany.
   

    -@Rammers

This is quite a statement. Sorry but I cannot take it on face value nor would I recommend other readers to modify their wedding plans to marry in a church because if it. I would first check with a law practitioner in my home country before deciding to undergo the complexities of getting a Catholic wedding here.

@bizwizard I've lived in 5 states and 14 months in S Korea but I just did the record of no marriage from the last state I lived before moving here. You can get them to mail internationally and my apostille service shipped mine to my house in the Philippines because I didn't have enough time before I left. Cost me an extra $120 or something to mail it here but it was worth it.

Thanks, Nick,

Did you get the apostalle here in the Philippines on a US document?

I would never get a Catholic marriage. I would get married in a regular Christian church but def never in a Catholic church. Most Catholic churches have rules that I will not adhere to ***. I would choose a Baptist Church or another type *** there's virtually no rules. Also, the Baptist Church I contacted said there's no charge..they only accept donations of any amount I feel in my heart to give. ***but idk because I would never go to their Churches for anything anyways. Some Filipinos would be offended by this but not my wife. *** Thankfully she's not really Catholic, it's her family that's the real Catholics. *** . Lol

@bizwizard no I got the apostille in the last state I was living. I'm pretty sure all of this can be done over the phone.

(1) I met and married my Philippine wife in Las Vegas.

(2) I paid $20 for our marriage license.

(3) I paid $79 at a wedding chapel for our marriage.

(4) We went on a weekend honeymoon.

(5) When returning we paid $10 for a certified copy of the marriage. 

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@nickfisher0640 blurted: I would never get a Catholic marriage. I would get married in a regular Christian church but def never in a Catholic church. Most Catholic churches have rules that I will not adhere to and most make you convert. I would choose a Baptist Church or another type like this because you don't need to convert and there's virtually no rules. Also, the and bla bla bla...

I am sorry for accidentally giving you an opportunity to use my post to spout-out against the Catholic church. You would never get married in a Catholic Church, so what? Who cares? My comment had to do with getting a municipal marriage and NOT getting married in a church. I think most commenters here don't give a fluck as to your Christian vs Catholic nonsense; this is not a religious forum and nobody cares if you are against or for Catholic churches. Such an old, boring discussion. My point was, if you have a municipal marriage, that would be a government-sponsored marriage and you would have documents stating that so it should be acceptable almost anywhere.

@Enzyte Bob said: (1) I met and married my Philippine wife in Las Vegas.

(2) I paid $20 for our marriage license.

(3) I paid $79 at a wedding chapel for our marriage.

(4) We went on a weekend honeymoon.

(5) When returning we paid $10 for a certified copy of the marriage.

My first marriage was the big church thing, reception etc .. which ended in divorce. My second wedding was more interesting; we both applied for the marriage license at the Delray Beach city hall for $35.00. We needed to supply some medical tests to complete the application and get married. So my Filipina wife did get dressed up in a wedding gown and we went back to the city hall and stood in line with other people buying fishing licenses and paying parking  tickets. When our turn came up they asked for 2 witnesses but we didn't bring anybody. Two people standing in line volunteered to be witnesses and the deputy city clerk did the short ceremony. When she finished she signed the marriage license and stsmped it and it was recorded. Later on at my wife's request we did a church wedding in Siquijor in March 1988 as a Catholic reconfirmation of marriage. It was a big ceremony in those days and the Governor of Siquijor province, a distant relative of my wife, was my best man.

@danfinn

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