If like us your Solemnizing Officer (Pastor/Priest, etc.) will not file the Marriage Certificate for you, read on.
Marriage License vs. Marriage Certificate
Some couples get confused if these two are one and the same. The Marriage License is what you need prior to getting married, the Marriage Certificate is what you get after the Wedding--this (or these... since these are five copies...) will be signed by the couple, the Pastor, and the principal sponsors on your wedding day. I blogged about Applying for a Marriage License too. Read it HERE.
Who Makes the Principal Sponsors Sign
Remember the forms that you filled out when you were applying for your Marriage License? Those will be taken by your Solemnizing Officer so they can fill out some important details. Come wedding day, he will ask your Coordinator or Best Man and Maid of Honor to have the principal sponsors sign these. It's pretty tedious--especially if you have a lot and those given the task don't know who your principal sponsors are. So best to make sure that principal sponsors sign before everyone leaves for the reception.
When and Where to File
According to the Philippine Stastistics Authority (PSA), the submission of the Marriage Certificate should be done within fifteen (15) days after the solemnization of the wedding. If you submit beyond that, you will be asked to submit additional requirements.
Filing of the Marriage Certificate is with Civil Registrar of the City or Municipality where you were married. The Office of the Civil Registrar is usually housed in the City/Municipal Hall, too. In our case, we were married in Alfonso, Cavite so we had to file ours at the Civil Registrar in Alfonso.
Filing Requirements
1. Marriage License
2. Certificates Signed by the Solemnizing Officer, the Couple, and the Principal Sponsors
3. Solemnizing Officer's License to Solemnize
4. Certificate from the Venue that you were married there
5. Affidavit of Request to be Married in a Place Other than the Authorized Places. Some Civil Registrars are lenient with this; this is required if you are getting married outside the Church or of the City or Municipal Hall.
Delayed Registration of Marriage
Oh the messy part. Apart from the above mentioned requirements, you will also need an Affidavit stating the exact place and date of marriage, and the reason for the delay in registration.
Similar to the posting period when you applied for a Marriage License, the local Civil Registrar will make a notice to the public on the pending application for delayed registration. This will be posted on bulletin boards of the city or municipality for a period of not less than ten (10) days.
After that, the local civil registar will deliberate on the veracity of your submissions.
Upon filing for delayed registration, the civil registrar will inform you when to come back for your copy of the marriage certificate.
The local Civil Registrar will be the ones to forward your submissions to the PSA, and after a few months, you can get a copy so you can update your civil status (and surname?) in your bank and government records.
When Can you Get a Copy from PSA
I know some couples who were able to expedite the processing of their marriage certificates which allowed them to get a copy from the PSA after a month. A Month! That's fast because it usually takes three to six months.
I hope you found this useful! If you have any questions on the post, leave them at the Comments Section below.
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