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フィリピンで結婚しました、国際カップルです！夫がフィリピン人、妻が日本人。2018年8月3日結婚（式はしていません）2018年12月16日長女Justine出産。気の向くままに日常を書いてゆきます～。よろしくお願いします。Youtube始めました☆https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjaFPYbGPMFJuIkhk1kBdUg

Requirements for a Marriage License in the Philippines for Japanese and Filipino couples (part 2).

 

 

Last Friday (July 13 2018) was, in my 30 years of experience, the worst day of my life. My partner and I headed to the barangay (pronounced bɑrɑnggɑi) hall in a small town in Cebu to get myself a Barangay Certificate, which is one of the requirements that I’ll get into in a bit. They asked me if I am a registered voter and without batting an eyelash, with no hesitation, I answered “No”. The secretary basically told me to get my ass out of their office and they won’t help me with anything.

 

Defeated and on the verge of crying, I walked out of the barangay hall with my head down while holding my partner’s hand. We then headed to the Cebu Local Civil Registrar to see if we could secure a couple of slots for the Pre-marriage Counseling Seminar (PRM) and unfortunately for us, well at least for me, I would need a Barangay Certificate to prove that I am a registered voter and a resident in the area. Frustrated and on the brink of giving up, I again walked out with my head down. Me taking the rest of the day off and probably pissing off some of my coworkers in the process were all for nothing.

 

The sweet cherry on top of that day though was my VISA to Japan not being approved. That day was so bad that the only way for it to go worse is if I got ran over by a truck and robbed afterwards. What a hell of a day it was.

 

Anyway, I’m here again to tell you how you can avoid going through all the crap that I’ve been to.

 

Here is a list of requirements for a Marriage License:

 

 

  1. Certified true copy of PSA Birth Certificate
  2. Certified true copy of CENOMAR
  3. Original Barangay Certificate
  4. Original Cedula
  5. Certificate of attendance to the PRM
  6. 1 valid ID (I’m sure that you and your partner already have one)
  7. Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract a Marriage (that’s already out of the way)

 

You’re going to need 3 photocopies of all the abovementioned documents.

 

In the previous entry, I mentioned that you might as well request for at least 3 copies of your and your partner’s CENOMAR when you requested for copies of your Birth Certificate. So I guess we won’t have to dwell on those two.

 

For the Barangay Certificate, you can simply go to the barangay hall of the barangay you’re “registered” in and make sure that you have a valid ID along with your partner’s valid ID. Speak to the Barangay Secretary directly. Let him or her know that you need a Barangay Certificate (NOT Barangay Clearance) to get married. Now he or she will ask you a question and it is crucial that you answer “Yes” with conviction.

 

“Are you a registered voter here?”

 

Look the person straight in the eye and say “Abso-fucking-lutely. Yes!”

 

Once you have convinced him or her that you are indeed a registered voter, he or she will hand you a piece of paper for you to write the following information on:

  • Your Name
  • Your parent’s name
  • Your address (make sure that the address that you provide is within the jurisdiction of their barangay)
  • Your partner’s name and address

 

It’s gonna be smooth sailing from there on out. All you have to do now is wait for him or her to finish typing in the information you provided into the Barangay Certificate template. He or she will print it out and forward it to the Barangay Chairman and have him sign it.

 

While waiting for the Barangay Certificate to be signed by the honorable chairman, might as well ask the Barangay Secretary for a CEDULA. This one is as easy as ABC. If they can’t provide you with one though, you can always head to the City Hall and get it from there. Trust me, it is easy.

 

Next step is to settle the corresponding fees with the Barangay Treasurer (20 Pesos for the Barangay Certificate. For the CEDULA however, it will depend on the monthly salary that you will disclose to them) and have the Barangay Certificate stamped with the official seal. Presto! You have gotten yourself a Barangay Certificate.

 

We are now down to the PRM which I mentioned earlier. Pre-marriage Counseling Seminar just in case you forgot. Head to your town’s Local Civil Registrar, tell them what you need and they’ll direct you to the people responsible for scheduling. Fill out the form that they will hand you, pay the fee (100 pesos) and there you have it. All you have to do now is attend the dreadful seminar, sit your ass down for 4 long, excruciating hours listening to someone talking about what being married is like (as if they’re the expert on marriage).