Foreigner’s Guide to Philippine Marriage License
Welcome:
Planning to marry your Filipina partner in the Philippines? Obtaining a marriage license will be your greatest hurdle. As a 64-year-old who's lived here for three years and successfully navigated the process, I’ll share my first hand experience dealing with the paperwork trap that catches most foreigners off guard. Don't let red tape ruin your dream of marrying and starting a fresh life in the Philippines. Read on or watch the video for more.
Hey everyone, I'm Joe, a 64-year-old retired investigator and surveillance operator from the US, and the Philippines has been my home now for over three years. If there’s anything I really do understand, it’s the hardships and stress that the civil servants endure trying to guide us (the public) through the municipal processes, and how often they deal with rude unappreciative people.
The most important thing to remember is to be respectful and polite no matter what obstacle you face. You want the person helping you to advocate to their boss on your behalf. Unlike the USA, you can’t travel to Las Vegas to get married.. If you alienate the people at city hall in the province here, you’re not going to get your license.
If you're a foreigner, especially an older guy who has been married before and dreaming of a new marriage in this incredible country, consider me your credible guide to clearing the biggest hurdle. Obtaining your marriage license.
If you’ve been through the process, please share your experience in the comments below, your input is invaluable.
My Research did not prepare me:
I did the research before I left the USA and thought presenting my US divorce order would be a slam dunk. Wrong! When we enrolled in the mandatory pre-marriage class, I learned that women here have to obtain a “certificate of no marriage” or what they call CENOMAR, and we also have to prove that we have the legal capacity to marry. In addition to my original divorce order that I brought from the USA, I was directed to the US Embassy in Manila. They have a sample you can download; however, I opted to type an affidavit of facts that included my date of marriage, spouses name, etc. along with the details of the divorce order. I titled the document “legal capacity to marry” and took my document to the US embassy to be notarized. Without that extra step, I would have been denied.
When we arrived at City Halal to apply for the marriage license, civil registrar grilled me on everything from my digital certified original vs. stamped document, and wanted my prior marriage certificate and documents proving my prior wife even existed. After several polite discussions with the lady helping me, and me explaining that I’ve met the legal requirement to obtain a marriage license. she became my advocate and I witnessed her convince her boss to accept my documents.
The Most Important Thing to recognize is:
The Philippine system is highly decentralized. Each province or city adds its own twists, and foreigners get extra scrutiny because there's no way for them to verify the legal status of a foreigner. You must have all the evidence ready to support your position when you apply for your marriage license. If you ignore this now, it will haunt you later. Your wedding can be delayed months, or even indefinitely while you chase apostilles and/or spend thousands to fly back home for original documents.
An apostille is a certification of a document from another country as valid, hence my reason for the affidavit I had notarized by the US Embassy in Manila.
The moral here is Don't wait until you're here stressed to start scrambling. Prepare early before you move to the Philippines so you can enjoy the romance, not the red tape. Thousands of intermarriages happen every year, especially with Filipino-foreigner unions, and many have faced these same hurdles.
Extra Fees for Foreigners:
Expect and be prepared to pay more money for everything as a foreigner (even the marriage official will charge more to marry a foreigner).
The legal requirements:
Here are the core requirements for a marriage license in the Philippines:
Both parties must be at least 18 (no marriage under 18)
If either one or both parties to the wedding are between Age 18-21 they will need parental consent (notarized affidavit).
Ages 21-25 need parental advice (advisory only; refusal delays license by 3 months).
Over 25? No parental input required.
Key docs:
PSA (Philippines Statistical Authority) birth certificate for your Filipina.
CENOMAR Certificate of No Marriage for your Filipina.
Proof of Filipina’s residence within the Province.
Your original birth certificate
Valid Identifications
Pre-marriage counseling certificate
Affidavit of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (notarized at the US Embassy).
However, If any part of her parent’s name is faded or not clear on your fiancé’s birth certificate, be prepared to present identification for her parents. This is not as easy as it seems. Many people our age in the Philippines don’t have birth certificates or identification.
Marriage License Cost and Validity:
In Laguna the fee is 1000 PHP for a foreigner license and 600 PHP for a Filipino couple. Fees may vary by province.
There is a 10-day publication period.
After the publication period, you can pick up your license at the municipality. The license is valid for 120 days across the Philippines. In other words, you get the license in your Filipina’s municipality, but you can get married anywhere in the Philippines.
Solemnizing officers (judges, mayors and pastors) often charge more for foreigners.
Fees for wedding ceremony can run between PHP 7,000-15,000 They are upfront about this, so be prepared. Our fee was 12,000 PHP.
The Key insight:
Over-prepare to prove you're single.
The US has no central marriage database, marriage license records are at city level and if you don’t know where a person was married, there is virtually no way to discover if a person ever was married. No one will ever know you were married if you don’t tell them. However, Divorces are easier to find because they require a court order, and those civil records are public and easy to find. But again, a person will have to know what state and county to search.
I’m not suggesting you be dishonest, I’m saying that if you don’t bring original documents to prove your divorce, you will have to go back to the USA to get the required docs, or have someone you know obtain them and mail them to you.
BE SURE to Bring originals/certified copies of the following with you:
Divorce decree
Prior marriage cert
Ex-spouse's birth cert if possible.
Copy of your Ex spouses ID.
Provinces vary, I was asked for my old marriage cert to validate the divorce and the ID of my ex-wife. I politely told them I did not have those documents and that I have provided all documents required by Philippine law. It is oaky to stand your ground, just remember, that kindness wins here. Nothing is standard, one office will accepts digitally certified documents and others may demand physical seals.
The US Embassy affidavit was gold. It was the document that tipped the scales in my favor. Link to the sample is listed in Citations below.
Overall, my personal experience supports what you will here in the expat communities and on the legal sites. Stay positive. Thousands succeed yearly when properly prepared. You can too!
Better thinking does equal a better life,
Joe
Citations
Family Code of the Philippines (Parental Consent/Advice): https://chanrobles.com/executiveorderno209.htm
US Embassy Philippines (Affidavit for Legal Capacity): https://ph.usembassy.gov/services/notarials
Philippine Statistics Authority (Marriage Statistics, intermarriages): https://psa.gov.ph/content/registered-marriages-philippines-2022
Practical 2025/2026 Guides (Foreigner Requirements): https://phexpats.com/marriage-in-the-philippines-legal-requirements-for-foreigners-practical-2025-guide/
Respicio & Co. (Updated Requirements): https://www.respicio.ph/commentaries/marriage-requirements-in-the-philippines-2025-license-seminar-and-documentary-checklist