Requirements for a Marriage License in the Philippines for Japanese and Filipino couples.

I’ve always thought that getting married was as easy as, I don’t know, getting your cavity riddled teeth extracted from your filthy gums. It’s not as painful as you think it is and it is pretty quick. That’s probably not the best comparison but, like most people, I’ve always thought it was just like in the movies - you ask your lovely girlfriend to marry you, she says yes, get a solemnizing officer to officiate your marriage, you kiss each other in the mouth, be declared husband and wife, and viola! You’re married! Yey! Wedding bells are ringing. But the reality is far from that.

The truth is, it is an absolute pain in the ass. I actually lost count of the number of times that I considered walking into the Local Civil Registrar in Cebu with a .45 caliber pistol (that’s probably what I could afford at this point - illegally. You were probably imagining some sort of assault rifle in your head.) and just shoot the next government employee who would be stupid enough to get on my nerve. I even considered burning the whole place down to the ground and stand triumphantly on its ruins with my left foot on top of a pile of rubble, hands on my waist and with a grin on my face.

No wonder the number of marriages in the Philippines has been on a downward trend (https://psa.gov.ph/content/marriage-philippines-2016). Anyway, that’s not what this entry is going to be about. I wrote this to provide you with some valuable information so that you won’t have to go through the same frustrating, agonizing and costly process that I went through.

Here is a general overview of the procedures and requirements related to the marriage process:

1.  Apply for and receive a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract a Marriage
2. Apply for and receive a Marriage License
3. Legally Marry, sign the Marriage Contract and forward it to the Local Civil Registrar
4. Submit a report of marriage form to the appropriate Japanese officials (either to the city hall of Japanese national’s pace of residence or the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines (Manila) or Consular Offices of Japan in Cebu and Davao.

Let’s talk about steps 1 and 2.

Apply for and receive a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract a Marriage

First things first. “What will I need to get a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract a Marriage?” You might ask. Well, thank sweet baby Jesus for here I am to tell you. For the Japanese National, he or she will need to provide the following:

1. Japanese Family Register (Koseki Tohon) within 3 months from date of issue: I suggest that you ask your partner to request for at least 3 copies of this document.
2. Original and valid Japanese passport: I’m sure this won’t be an issue if he or she is currently residing in the Philippines.

•  Written consent to marry from the parents/legal guardian of the applicant if he or she is below 20 years old: If your partner is a little too young to buy himself or herself a bottle of booze, this is absolutely necessary.
•  Certified true copy of the Removed Japanese Family Register (Joseki Tohon) and/or Japanese Family Register before revision (Kiaseigen Koseki) within 6 months from date of issue:

If future wifey or hubby was married at some point in his or her life and decided to call it quits with the ex, this will tell everything about it.

Now, for you my fellow Filipino. Here’s what you’re going to need.

1. Certified true copy of Birth Certificate from PSA (formerly NSO) or from the Local Civil Registrar: This one is pretty much straightforward. Just head down to the nearest PSA regional office, fill out a form, show it to one of the employees walking around to have the information on your form validated, they will assign you a queue number, wait for your number to be called which takes forever by the way, pay and then they’ll ask you to come back after a few hours to pick it up.

Since you’re gonna be there, I suggest that you request for a copy of your and your partner’s CENOMAR as well. You’re gonna need additional copies down the line so make sure that you request for at least 3 copies of each document.

Once you and your partner have all the necessary documents, it is now time to go the Japanese Embassy or Japanese Consular office. Head to the nearest window, press the button to buzz one of the officers, let your Japanese partner talk to the officer and he or she will hand you an application form for him or her to fill out. Submit the accomplished form along with your Birth Certificate, his or her Koseki Tohon and his or her passport. Finally! You’re done and you can now get married.

NOT!

You just finished securing the first requirement. Let’s move on to the more grueling part (sigh) which we’ll discuss in the second part of this article.