Marriage licenses are documents issued by local government units (City Hall or Municipal Hall) that allow a man

and a woman to get married. The requirements needed in obtaining a marriage license depend on ones civil status and residence or nationality. The legal age of getting married under the Philippine laws is 18 years old.

STEPS IN OBTAINING VALID MARRIAGE LICENSE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Schedule a Pre-marital seminar at the City Health Department or Municipal Health Department and pay the necessary fees.

Attend the Pre-marital Seminars conducted by the Municipal Health Department or City Health Department and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Get your Certificate of Attendance for the seminar you have attended.

Get and fill out Application for Marriage License (Form 90).

Attach all the necessary documents needed (see requirements in page 2 and 3)

Submit the Application and attached documents.

Get Claim Slip.

Wait until the application had been posted by the posting officer.

Get the Marriage License

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The basic requirements that are needed by a man in order to avail a marriage license from their ladys hometown are: National Statistics Office (NSO) Birth Certificate 1 original and 2 photocopies Parents Consent or Parental Advice a. Any person getting married at the age of 18-21 years old should present a written parental consent from his / her parents or legal guardians, before being allowed by the Philippine government to get married. b. For individuals getting married at the age of 21 -25 years old, it is necessary to present a parental advice containing information that his/ her parents are allowing their marriage. Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) or Certificate of Singleness 1 original and 1 photocopy (a document issued by the NSO that certifies an individual has not contracted himself/ herself to any marriage) Certificate of Attendance (a certification indicating that the couple had attended seminars on pre-marital counseling and family planning conducted by the Municipal hall or City hall from which they had applied their marriage licenses) Cedula 1 original and 2 photocopies Barangay Certification or Barangay Clearance 1 original and 1 photocopy At least 2 valid IDs Requirements for Filipino / Filipina Widow or Widower National Statistics Office (NSO) Birth Certificate 1 original and 2 photocopies Parents Consent or Parental Advice. Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) or Certificate of Singleness 1 original and 1 photocopy Certificate of Attendance Cedula 1 original and 2 photocopies Barangay Certification or Barangay Clearance 1 original and 1 photocopy Death Certificate of Deceased Spouse 1 original and 2 photocopies Requirements for Filipino / Filipina Who is Annulled National Statistics Office (NSO) Birth Certificate 1 original ang 2 photocopies Parents Consent or Parental Advice. Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) or Certificate of Singleness 1 original and 1 photocopy Certificate of Attendance Cedula 1 original and 2 photocopies Barangay Certification or Barangay Clearance 1 original and 1 photocopy **Certificate of Finality of Annulment from the Court 1 original and 2 photocopies ** Certificate of Registration from the Local Civil Registrar 1 original and 2 photocopies Requirements for foreigner Passport 2 photocopies-ID 2 photocopies Latest Date of Arrival 2 photocopies Certificate of Legal Capacity -This is a document issued by their respective regional diplomatic officials or consular officials. Certificate of No Marriage CENOMAR or Certificate of Singleness
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Requirements for foreigner who is divorced Passport 2 photocopies-ID 2 photocopies Latest Date of Arrival 2 photocopies Certificate of Legal Capacity -This is a document issued by their respective regional diplomatic officials or consular officials. Certificate of No Marriage CENOMAR or Certificate of Singleness Judicial Decree for Absolute Divorce 1 original 2 photocopies Requirements for foreigner who is a widow / widower Passport 2 photocopies-ID 2 photocopies Latest Date of Arrival 2 photocopies Certificate of Legal Capacity -This is a document issued by their respective regional diplomatic officials or consular officials. Certificate of No Marriage CENOMAR or Certificate of Singleness Death Certificate of Deceased Spouse 1 original and 2 photocopies

Requirements for foreigner who is a naturalized Filipino citizen Passport 2 photocopies-ID 2 photocopies Latest Date of Arrival 2 photocopies Certificate of Legal Capacity -This is a document issued by their respective regional diplomatic officials or consular officials. 4) Certificate of No Marriage CENOMAR or Certificate of Singleness 5) Naturalization Papers 1 original and 2 photocopies

ESSENTIAL REQUISITES OF MARRIAGE (Article 2 of the Family Code of the Philippines) 1) Legal capacity of the contracting parties who must be a male and a female 2) Consent freely given in the presence of the solemnizing officer FORMAL REQUISITES OF MARRIAGE (Article 3 of the Family Code of the Philippines) 1) Authority of the solemnizing officer 2) A valid marriage license except in the cases provided for by the Family Code 3) A marriage ceremony which takes place with the appearance of the contracting parties before the solemnizing officer and their personal declaration that they take each other as husband and wife in the presence of not less than two witnesses of legal age

Marriages Exempted from Marriage License Requirements

Normally, for a marriage to be considered valid, the contracting parties must procure a valid marriage license from the local civil registrar of the city or municipality where either contracting party habitually resides. However, there are instances when a license can be dispensed with. 1) Marriages in articulo mortis The first exempted marriage is a marriage in articulo mortis or when one or both of the parties are at the point of death. Article 27 of the Family Code states that in case either or both of the contracting parties are at the point of death, the marriage may be solemnized without necessity of a marriage license and shall remain valid even if the ailing party subsequently survives. (a) If a marriage in articulo mortis occurs inside a ship or an airplane between passengers or crew members: the same may be solemnized by a ship captain or by an airplane pilot not only while the ship is at sea or the plane is in flight, but also during stopovers at ports of call. In this case, what is considered important is not the place or location, but the wish of the parties to get married before one or both of them kicks the bucket. (Article 31 of the Family Code) (b) A military commander of a unit, who is a commissioned officer, shall likewise have authority to solemnize marriages in articulo mortis between persons within the zone of military operation, whether members of the armed forces or civilians. (Article 32 of the Family Code) 2) No means of transportation A marriage may also be solemnized without necessity of a marriage license if the residence of either party is so located that there is no means of transportation to enable such party to appear personally before the local civil registrar. This is a recognition that not all men are created equal in terms of material wealth and also considers the fact that some of our countrymen do not even have the means of getting to their local civil registrar. (Article 27 of the Family Code) 3) Marriages among Muslims and members of ethnic communities The Family Code also recognizes the customs and traditions of our Muslim brothers and other ethnic communities when it declares that marriages among Muslims or among members of the ethnic cultural communities may be performed validly without the necessity of marriage license, provided they are solemnized in accordance with their customs, rites or practices. (Article 33 of the Family Code) 4) Five years of living together and no legal impediments A man and a woman who have lived together as husband and wife for at least five years and without any legal impediment to marry each other may be married without a marriage license. As a requisite, the contracting parties shall state the foregoing facts in an affidavit before any person authorized by law to administer oaths. In addition, the solemnizing officer shall also state under oath that he ascertained the qualifications of the contracting parties are found no legal impediment to the marriage. (Article 34 of the Family Code)
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Duties of the solemnizing officer in marriages exempted from marriage license requirements: 1) Article 29 of the Family Code states that in the cases falling under Articles 27 and 28 of the Family Code The solemnizing officer shall state in an affidavit executed before the local civil registrar or any other person legally authorized to administer oaths that: (a) the marriage was performed in articulo mortis (b) the residence of either party, specifying the barrio or barangay, is so located that there is no means of transportation to enable such party to appear personally before the local civil registrar (c) the officer took the necessary steps to ascertain the ages and relationship of the contracting parties and the absence of legal impediment to the marriage 2) The original of the affidavit together with the legible copy of the marriage contract, shall be sent by the person solemnizing the marriage to the local civil registrar of the municipality where it was performed within the period of thirty days after the performance of the marriage. (Article 30 of the Family Code)

Sources: philippine-marriage.com https://www.christianfilipina.com http://marriage.about.com/od/philippines/a/philippines.htm Article 2, 3, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 of the Family Code of the Philippines

Submitted by: Zoe Gacod Raihanah Sarah Macarimpas Lovely Grazette Quiben Persons and Family Relations Section 1a