Marriage Consult Philippines

I.   Applying for a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage

When a Japanese national wishes to enter into a contract of marriage with Filipino, the Japanese national must apply for and receive a certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage from the Consulate General of Japan in Manila. This must be done prior to entering into a contract of marriage (Family Code of the Philippines, Article 21).

Before receiving the certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage the following must be presented:

Japanese Nationals:

1. Certified true copy of your Japanese Family Register

(Koseki Tohon)

1. Certified true copy of your Removed Japanese Family

Register

1. Japanese passport

D. Consent to marry

if a male is over 18 years old or a female is over 16 years old

but he or she is under 20 years old, a parental consent form must

be submitted. This form must be completed and signed the legal

guardian of the Jaanese applicant.

Note: Japanese males below the age of 18, and Japanese females below the age of 16, are not eligible for marriage.

Philippine nationals:

A. Certified true copy of the applicant's birth certificate

(The copy must have the original stamp/seal of a certified true copy)

If no birth certificate exists you must submit the following:

1. Certificate of non-record of birth

This can be obtained from either the Local Civil

Registrar or the National Statistics Office (N.S.O.)

2. Baptismal certificate

B. Additional requirements may be requested

Note: Male and female Filipino applicants must be over the age of 18 to be eligible for marriage

The certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage will be issued one day after the application form is accepted. All certificates will be issued after 2:00 p.m. (Mondays - Fridays). Please be sure to make photo copies of the original certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage. These copies will be issued during the report of marriage and visa application submission phases of these processes.

II.  The Marriage Procedure

Step1. After receiving the certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage both parties must proceed to the city hall or the municipality in which the Philippine national habitually resides. (where he or she has lived for at least the last 6 months). You must then both present the certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage to the local civil registrar and apply for your marriage license. (Family Code of the Philippines, Article 9). Please refer all questions regarding the procedures and requirements necessary to apply for your marriage license directly to the local civil registrar issuing the marriage license.

Step 2. after applying your marriage license, the information given in the application will be posted for 10 consecutive days inside the city hall or the municipality in which the Philippine national habitually resides. The marriage license will be issued after the completion of this 10-day period (Family Code of the Philippines, Article 17). The marriage license, once issued, is valid in any part of the Philippines for 120 days. If it has not been used during this 120-day period it will then automatically expire (Family Code of the Philippines, Article 20)

Step 3. The marriage ceremony must be solemnized by an individual with the legal authority to perform such ceremony. Upon the completion of the ceremony all participants (the presiding official, witnesses, and the husband and the wife) must sign the marriage certificate (Family Code of the Philippines, Article 2-7).

Step 4. Following the signing of the marriage certificate by all parties involved, the marriage certificate must be sent to the city hall of the municipality in which the Philippine national habitually resides. It will then be registered by the local civil register. (Family Code of the Philippines, Article 23). Please remember to get certified true copies of the marriage contract from the local civil register. The Japanese national will need this documents when the marriage is reported in Japan.

III.  Mandatory Registration of the Marriage in Japan

Japanese nationals are legally obligated to submit a report of marriage form to the city hall of the city in Japan in which they reside, or to the Consulate-General of Japan in Manila, not more than 3 months after having entered into a contract of marriage with a Philippine national. The Filipino spouse of the Japanese national can submit the report of marriage to the Consulate General of Japan in Manila on behalf of the Japanese national provided that the necessary columns are completely filled out. When submitting the report of marriage to the Consulate General of Japan in Manila please have you the following documents:

A. Certificates true copies of the Japanese National's

Japan Family Register

(Koseki Tohon)

B. Certificates true copies of the birth certificate, of the Philippine

National

If no birth certificate exists the following documents and their Japanese translation must be submitted:

1. Certificate of non-record of birth

2. Baptismal certificate

3. Certificates of Nationality

(or copies of your passport)

Please present the original passport when submitting these copies

C. Japanese translation f the birth certificate of the Philippine National

(The translator's name must appear on these documents)

D. Certified true copies of the marriage contract

These copies must have the stamps/seals of certified true copies and have the registration number in the city hall in the Philippines where the contract was registered. Do not submit abstracts of the marriage contract.

E. Japanese translations of the marriage contract

(The translator's name must appear on these documents)

F.      Copy of the certificate of legal capacity to contract

Marriage

G.     Copy of the marriage license and marriage license

application form

Note: If the Japanese national is changing the "Honseki" then 2 originals and 1 copy of the above documents must be submitted.

If the report of marriage is to be submitted to the city hall of the city of Japan in which the Japanese national resides, you must contact that city hall directly to inquire as to the requirements and procedures of that particular city hall.

IV.  Visa Application Procedure for Citizens of the Philippines Planning to Reside in Japan    After Marrying a Japanese National

A.     Overview of the application procedure

Step 1: The marriage must be officially registered at the city hall of the city of Japan in which the Japanese national resides

Step 2: The Japanese national must, in behalf of his or her Filipino spouse, apply for a certificate of eligibility, the Philippine national must then apply for his or her Japanese visa at the Consulate-General in Manila.

All Filipino applicants who intend to reside in. Japan after marrying a Japanese national must first receive a certificate of eligibility. The certificate must be obtained at the Regional Immigration Bureau office in Japan that is closest to the city in which the Japanese national resides. Please direct all inquiries as to the procedures and requirements necessary to receive a certificate of eligibility to the Regional Immigration Bureau office in Japan that will be issuing the certificate.

B.     Japanese visa requirements

1.      Fill out visa application form

2.      Submit two (2) photos (4.5 x 4.5 cm)-photos must be pasted onto application form

3.      Philippine passport

4.      certificate of eligibility (original copy and one (1) photocopy)

5.      Certificates true copies of the birth certificate of the Philippine National on "Security Papers" from the National Statistics Office with NSO logo at the back - not retyped)

6.      Certificates true copies of the marriage contract on "Security Papers" from the National Statistics Office with NSO logo at the back - not retyped)

Note: In case of no record of birth at NSO, Birth certificate by city hall and authenticated by NSO as well as certificate of non-record of birth by NSO

• Above-mentioned 4. (certificate of eligibility) should be valid for period of three (3) months and 5. and 6. should be valid for period of six (6) months.

• IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE-MENTIONED REQUIREMENTS, FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS MAY HAVE TO BE PRESENTED UPON THREQUEST:

1. Wedding pictures
2. Baptismal certificate
3. Old passport (applicant who visited Japan in the past)
4. Immigration record issued by Philippine Immigration (applicant who visited Japan in the past and lost old passport)

C.     Procedure for Application

1.      Documents may be submitted on weekdays

D.     The procedure of marriage

By the following procedure outlined above, the Philippine national will no longer have to change his or her status, the Philippine national will now be recognized as the spouse of a Japanese national, and as such will be entitled to reside in Japan upon entry and to renew his or her visa before its date of expiration.

Note: the submission of certificate of eligibility along with a visa application form, to the Consulate General in Manila, does not necessarily guarantee that an entry visa will be issued to the spouse of a Japanese national.

Remember: If the Filipino applicant intends to stay in Japan for more than 90 days, he or she must register as an alien at the city hall of the city in Japan in which his or her Japanese spouse resides.