Civil Wedding in the Philippines
Civil Wedding in the Philippines – Procedures & Requirements
For most Filipinos, a civil wedding is a cheaper, faster, and more convenient alternative to church wedding. It is usually conducted by a judge of the RTC court, but it can also be performed by the Mayor of a city. If you’re short on cash or still saving for your dream church wedding, this option is for you.
Here are the requirements and procedures you need to remember if you’re planning to have a civil wedding in the Philippines:
What You Need:
Marriage license (see Part II).
Certified True Copy of Baptismal Certificate or Birth Certificate of both parties.
Community tax certificates (CEDULA) of both applicants.
1 ID photo (colored background or black and white) of each applicant.
Certificate of Attendance to a wedding seminar. Couples are required to attend pre-marriage counseling and family planning seminar. These are usually given in the city hall and are required before you can claim your marriage license. Check your municipality for a complete list of schedules.
Letter of Intent to Marry. As the name suggests, this letter should express your intent to marry and also includes your name and your fiancee’s name, your signatures, and your suggested wedding dates.
Other requirements:
If widowed, Certified True Copy of Death Certificate of deceased spouse.
If divorced or annulled, a copy of Final Decree of Absolute Divorce or Court Decision and Absolute Decree of Finality from the court.
For foreigners:
Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry (or Certificate of No Impediment for British applicants) issued by the consular office/embassy of the foreigner’s country. For more information, see Part VI and Part VII.
Photocopy of passport (showing the Date of Arrival and Data).
What To Do:
Step 1: Go to your civil registrar’s office to apply and pay the required fees for a marriage license. Beware of swindlers. Make sure you only deal with the staff of the Civil Registrar’s office.
Step 2: Proceed to the Mayor’s office and submit the Letter of Intent to Marry together with the marriage license to the secretary.
Step 3: Wait for the confirmation that your suggested wedding dates are available. Civil weddings are usually officiated by a judge or the Mayor in a city hall court. If you have a preferred venue, seek the approval of your chosen officiate first.
Step 4: Find at least two people within the legal age who will serve as your witnesses. If either you or your partner is below 18 years old, a parent or a guardian is required.
Step 5: During your wedding day, you need to pay a filing fee which usually costs 100 pesos. This is to enable them to forward their own facsimile of the marriage contract to the local civil registrar. You will then get the facsimile of the marriage certificate from NSO after 1 to 2 months.
Step 6: Proceed to the official civil wedding ceremony.
