How to Apply for Marriage License (Philippines)

Importance

Marriage license is a document authorizing a couple to marry. This is one of the requirements needed for church or civil weddings. I have heard lots of tales about broken marriages because the marriage license was revoked, faked or defrauded. Why is the license so important? Because it is a government issued document that could validate and give assurance of the civil status of both parties. With the modern requirements included (e.g. Family Planning Seminar, Marriage Counseling), the couple would surely have a bird’s eye view of what marriage looks like coming from the experts.

Where to Start

Maybe many would ask why weddings are prepared for months and years while the celebrations would only last a day or a few. It’s because aside from the ceremony, reception and attires the documentation would also get a chunk of the preparation schedule. Take for example the marriage license which has only 120 days validity. You need to be precise to get the license ahead but not too early in order to fit within the valid dates. Beyond the 120 days, you need to re-apply again. Also, keep in mind that you can only apply for marriage license in government offices in your current residency or in your permanent address.

Requirements

The list of requirements varies according to the place of filing. In our case, we filed the application for license in Makati City, Metro Manila. What was best about the process is that Makati has its own website detailing all necessary requirements during filing. We were also fortunate that the City Civil Registrar answered our inquiry online. Here is the address and contact details of the City Civil Registration Office based on the website of Makati Government:

Office/ Department:

City Civil Registration Office

3rd Flr., new Makati City Hall
J.P. Rizal St., Poblacion, Makati
E-mail: jcc@makati.gov.ph

Contact Person (s):

Josephine C. Camata-Copada

City Civil Registrar

Conchita M. Espedido
Division Head
Tel. Nos. 895-5125/870-1329

From the said website we were able to know that the following are the requirements:

1. Certified Copy of Birth /Baptismal Certificate. (Bring original for authentication.)
2. Residence Certificates (Cedula)
3. Parental Advice (21 yrs. – 25 yrs. old)
4. Parental Consent (18 yrs. – 21 yrs. old)
5. Pre-Marriage Counseling (from DSWD and MHD)
6. Divorce Paper/Annulment Paper, if previously married
7. Death Certificate (if widow or widower)
8. Barangay Certificate (for Makati residents)
9. Legal Capacity to marry issued by the Embassy (if foreign National)
10. Photo copy of foreigner’s passport
11. NSO Certificate of No Record of Marriage for both parties (CENOMAR)

Getting the requirements

The taxing part for the filing is getting all the requirements stated above. These are the requirements you need to secure prior to applying for the license. You need to have this ahead before filing. The following are the steps we followed during the requirements gathering:

1.     Barangay Clearance and Residence Certificate - We went to Barangay Tejeros Hall, one of the most impressive barangay halls I’ve ever went to. We brought with us our valid IDs (we prepared 2 in case) and billing address for proof of residency. We went to 2^nd floor to fill-out the necessary forms and paid the necessary fees at the 3^rd floor. What’s good again with the barangays in Makati is that they are also issuing residence certificates aside from the Barangay Clearance. The staffs there were also very accommodating. You can finish the 2 requirements in less than 30 minutes.

2.     NSO Certificate of No Record of Marriage for both parties (CENOMAR) – For working people like us who doesn’t have much time we decided to apply for CENOMAR online. Although it was a bit pricey than to personally apply in NSO, it surely saved our efforts and time and kept us from long queues and stress. You can check the following link on how to apply for CENOMAR online: https://www.ecensus.com.ph/Default.aspx. Important note: During validation, the birth certificate is the basis to check the names of your father and mother. Put suffix, (e.g. Jr.) in your father’s name during CENOMAR request if it is indicated in your birth certificate. Otherwise, DO NOT PUT SUFFIX in your CENOMAR. In my case, I put the Sr. in my father’s name to avoid confusion since I have a younger brother of his namesake. It was raised during validation that it should not be that way. But if your father’s name was declared with Jr. or Sr. in your birth certificate, no need to consider this warning.

3.       NSO Certified Copy of Birth /Baptismal Certificate – In order to avoid questions in the validation of documents later, always ensure to have an NSO issued Birth Certificate. You can also apply this online using the same link I’ve provided in step 2. Or you can still drop by in any NSO office if you wish to apply personally to cut costs.  

4.       Parental Consent and Parental Advice – For the sake of those in between the age brackets (18-25) indicated which need parental consent and parental advice, I have stumbled on this blog which could be helpful in case you needed to procure one: www.jlp-law.com/blog/lack-of-parental-consent-or-parental-advice-validity-of-marriage/. According to the blog, the parental consent may be (1) manifested in writing by the interested party, who personally appears before the proper local civil registrar; or (2) in the form of an affidavit made in the presence of two witnesses and attested before any official authorized by law to administer oaths while the parental advice is sworn statement by the contracting parties to the effect that such advice has been sought, together with the written advice given, if any, shall be attached to the application for marriage license. Should the parents or guardian refuse to give any advice, this fact shall be stated in the sworn statement.

5.       Secure a copy of each requirement – You will be required to submit the original and photocopy of the documents during the validation. So in order to save time, secure photocopies of each document.

6.       Secure 2 black ballpens, long brown envelope and white ink eraser – It is compulsory that the Marriage License will be handwritten by both parties. In our case, we were required to write using only black ballpens. Since there would be 3 copies, it would be time efficient if each one has a ballpen at hand to avoid waiting for one another. Meanwhile, the long brown envelope would secure all documents needed for filing while the white ink will be convenient for erasures.

You may also view the full contents of the application process in the Makati Citizens Guide Book specifically on Page 23 of the Birth Certificates and Other Civil Documents page. Please see the following link: http://www.makati.gov.ph/portal/main/index.jsp?main=29&content=1729#top

Actual Filing

Aside from the requirements, the Makati Citizen Guide Book also indicated the steps to be undertaken during the actual filing. So what we will discuss are the possible scenarios during the course of the application:

Guide Book Procedure:

1.       Register at Window 6 (5 minutes) – For Makati residents, this is located at 3^rd floor of the city hall. You will be given a slip to fill-out.

2.       Pay at Window B – Miscellaneous and Taxes Division (20 minutes) – For non-busy days, this would only take a few minutes. You will be paying PhP 100.00 for the Pre-Marriage Counseling Seminar.

3.       Attend Pre-Marriage Counseling at the Makati Social Welfare, Department, 5th Flr., new Makati City Hall, (3 hours) Civil, Registry Info-dissemination (30 minutes) – The discussion here would focus on responsible parenthood, emphasis on respect and harmony between couples and tips on how to discipline children and managing one another’s differences. Surprisingly, we found the session interesting and enlightening. After the seminar you will be given the Pre-Marriage Counseling Certificate. Do not forget to photocopy your certificate after the Family Planning seminar.

4.       Attend Family Planning, Seminar at the Health Department, 7th Flr., new Makati City Hall. (3 hours)­­ – The contents of the discussion are similar to the Population Education classes we have in high school. But it is not to be taken for granted also because it will surprise you that there are things that you still don’t know about family planning. They will also distribute the Marriage License Application Form and discuss on how to fill-out the necessary information.

5.       Fill-out application forms for Marriage License (1 hour) – This is where your black ballpens will be considerably needed. Avoid erasures in as much as possible.

6.       Pay at Window B – Miscellaneous and Taxes Division (20 minutes) – You will pay PhP 130.00 for the application form and filing fee. But this can be accomplished in a few minutes for non-busy days.

7.       Review, Interview and Administration of Oath by the City Civil Registrar – This is where the oath would take place. Usually you would raise your hand to swear that all the information given in the marriage license is correct.

8.       Typing of notice, registration on registry book (1 hour)

9.       Posting (10 days)

10.   Issuance of Marriage License (10 minutes)

FAQs

The following answers could be helpful especially for those who wish to file their license in Makati City.

1.       Can we finish the requirements gathering and application in one day? Based on our experience, you can’t finish both the requirements gathering and application in one day. For one, the NSO issued certificates (CENOMAR and Birth Certificate) could take in much of your time. Also, the 2 seminars have specific schedules and could not be taken any time. You need to schedule your requirement gathering and actual filing of license in different dates.

2.       What time should we go in the City Hall if we wish to finish the filing in one day? As advised by the Civil Service Registrar during our inquiry, you need to go to the city hall in as early as 7:45 AM to secure the payment for the Pre-Marriage Counseling. The counseling is scheduled during Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 AM.

3.       We have lacking documents can we still file for marriage license? We have one companion during our seminar with no Barangay clearance yet. They were still admitted during the seminar but during the validation it was indicated that they don’t have the Barangay clearance. The marriage license will not be posted if documents are incomplete. So you need to send the documents as soon as possible before the scheduled posting date.

4.       I was tired to fill-out the Marriage License Application form and my hubby filled that out for me. Was it okay? No, it is indicated in the guidelines during application that the form must be accomplished with the handwriting of both applicants. Expect a call from the validating officer in cases like this.

5.       I wrote in the left column and my fiancé wrote in the right column. Would it be accepted? No. it is designated that the MALE partner writes in the LEFT while the FEMALE partner writes in the RIGHT. It could not be interchanged.

Happy filing and good luck!