The what, when, where, how, and why of a marriage certificate.
WHAT:
A marriage certificate is a contract between two consenting adults—a man and a woman—which formally unites their lives in a legal, emotional, and economic manner. Recognized and sanctioned by the state, the marriage is dissolvable only by law.
A valid marriage certificate contains these essential details:
Details about the husband and wife
Full name
Birthday
Age
Place of birth
Gender
Citizenship
Residence
Religion
Civil status
Details about the parents of the husband and wife
Full name
Maiden name of mother
Citizenship
Details about the person giving consent to marriage (if applicable)
Full name
Relationship
Residence
Details about the wedding
Place
Date
Full names and signatures of all present
Groom
Bride
Officiant
Witnesses
WHERE:
For worldwide deliveries, you can file an application at your nearest Census Serbilis Center. Visit https://www.ecensus.com.ph/Secure/SerbilisLocator.aspx for a complete list of branches. For deliveries within the country, you can order online through PSAHelpline.ph (https://nsohelpline.ph/order-now). A document can cost from P315 to US$20 depending on the area it will be sent to.
WHEN:
An NSO-certified marriage certificate will be available about three to six months after the local civil registrar has filed the papers. The processing time for the requested document takes faster when the file is already converted, meaning it is already in the database of the Civil Registry System of the Philippine Statistics Authority.
Once requested and paid for, it will take about 3 to 9 working days for you to receive it (depending on your chosen service provider and where it will be delivered). When the document is coursed through the postal service system, it may take several more days.
HOW:
To be issued the marriage certificate, the interested party needs to provide the following information:
Marriage date
Country of marriage
Province of marriage
City of marriage
Complete name of the husband
Complete name of the wife
Complete name and address of the requesting party
Number of copies needed
Purpose of the certification
WHY:
You can use a marriage certificate for many reasons: to apply for a new passport, to obtain travel documents, for employment in or out of the country, for school or embassy requirements, and for claims, benefits, or loans.
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