Anyone on here have a legal wedding in the Philippines? I am going to need some guidence in the months to come- I will have a three week window in the Philippines this July to do the following:

Fiancee to file for marriage certificate with town of prospective marriage
Fiance to get Affidavit en lieu of Legal Capacity to Marry in Manila
Marriage Seminar
Fiancee and Fiance to get marriage lisence in said town of wedding
Wedding

Where can I go to find a marriage seminar in her town? She lives in Cabadbaran, Agusan Del Norte, Mindanao, PHI

if we both haven't previously been married, do I still have to have proof of this to get the Affidavit in Manila? Or will me just stating "I haven't previously been married" suffice?

Is it plausible to assume I can get all of this done in three weeks?

I hear she can apply for the marriage certificate before I get there- its a 10 day process for the marriage certificate once she applies- all we have to do is render the Affidavit of Legal Capacity to Marry and proof of Marriage Seminar, together in person, and we can get the marriage certificate.

Anyone here done this?

Thanks!

Take a look at this link, it might be helpful:

http://travel.state.gov/law/citizenship/citizenship_757.html

I had to look up your fiancee's city, I hadn't heard of it. I have been to Gingoog City, Duka Bay and of course Camiguin several times. My wife is from Cagayan.

Thanks- yes, I've read all of that- it doesn't mention the marriage seminar, but I know its required. Didyou get married in the Philippines? My fiancee took her nursing board exam in Cagayan- Cabadbaran is 5 hours west of Cagayan, near Butuan.

Did you do a marriage seminar?

all are required to attend the marriage seminar to get a marriage license,
but if your wife know someone working at city hall you can just pay them,
it cost us P1,500 to get a license w/o attending the seminar but of course the papers state we did

Well, unfortunately she doesn't know anyone that works in City Hall. I just need to find out where and when one of these seminars is so we can do it while I'm there.

About the Affidavit for LEgal Capacity to Marry: if we have had no previous marriages/divorces- do we need proof of that or do they just take my word for it when I tell them

if you have proof just bring it with you

I don't know anyone also who works at City Hall, your wife may ask somebody who knows, even the maintenance guy can help.

This is a link to a Filipino government web site:

http://www.gov.ph/faqs/marriage.asp

We did not do a marriage seminar. I brought Claudeth here on a K-1 because it was much quicker at the time we decided to file only taking a little over four months from filing until she arrived.

I got married in the Philippines, all I needed was a passport and "some letter from the embassy" that said I was single and legal to marry. And my wife, she just needed her passport. This is the Philippines you're talking about, and the area you're talking about is a province. You're wife must know how to "grease" someone to get this done. It will be easier for you with a short window, for someone to do all the leg work. In the Philippines, you can't get anything done without a little help. In most cases, people just don't even know they're paying someone; they think they're paying a "fee." Just ask your wife to find someone in her town whom can take care of everything. It's election time there. They need the flow. I'm not saying bribe someone to doo something illegal; I'm saying "find" someone inside who knows how to lead you and take care of you.

Doing everything in 3 weeks is going to be very stressful, we did it and we worked non stop.

You cannot get the marriage lic in the Phil without the certificate of legal capacity, and you have to be at the embassy to swear an oath before the consul to get that.

The 10 days is concrete, not way to get it in less time, we tried.

The Seminar for Philippinos overseas has to be done in Manila or Cebu. Even after you get the semminar done, you have to go back and get the K-3 visa stanped at the overseas office before you can depart the Philippines.

Don't be surprised if you cannot get all this done the first time, plan on a second trip at least once the interview date comes.

Rob and Melinda

The US Consular Office in Cebu can also issue the affidavit, but be sure the office is open and the CO is there. The day I wanted to get mine, the CO was not going to be there, so I went to Manila. They suggested calling a day or two ahead (Cebu), because there are days the CO is requested to be in Manila. The affidavit is required, if you're trying to do this "by the book".

If you are really taking the seminar, which we did, we were told the license would be issued 10 days from the seminar, not 10 days from the application. The office where we applied for the license gave us the information about the seminar, when and where it could be taken. It's not easy getting it done in 3 weeks, but it is possible.

Good luck,
Mike

Filed for: N/A??
The best way to get married is on a K-1 Fiance Visa.
The Religious Ceremony can always be done at a later date.
And, of course you realize that this entails a "Fiesta" for perhaps the whole Barangay?

Just thinking about having only "three weeks" gives me a headache.

You need to rent a motel across the street from the embassy when you get there and get your butt to the embassy first thing in the morning for your capacity to marry, just hold up your american passport and they will let you in. get thier early. If you can spend a couple days in manila I have close friends that work in the city hall. They can help you out.

...For a price.

I got it done in 3 weeks. No problem at all.

IIRC, I got in near midnight and stayed in the Bayview hotel across from the embassy, got the affidavit of non-marriage the next day. Bayview kinda sucks by Philippines standards- its expensive and crummy, like an american restraunt.

I filed for the marriage license that same day.

10 days later I got married by a judge in a fried chicken place. http://www.maxschicken.com/wedding.html

my fiancees father told me we do the seminar at the city hall in the town we are marrying and getting the lisence- not in Cebu or Manila- the only thing I have to do in Manila as far as marriage is concerned is go to the US Embassy for the oath to get the affidavit- then I go to the town we are to marry in, take the seminar, apply for the lisence, and get married....yes?

Time-wise, I can only afford to stay in Manila for one day: to get the affidavit, then I'm going to jump on a plane to go to Mindanao (south) and start the marriage process there...

My plane got into Manila at 5 am. My fiancée and I went straight to the embassy, getting there before 7 am. Though they don't officially open until 8, we were helped at 7:00, the CO saw me at 7:30 and we were out of there with the affidavit before 8. I am divorced but did not need to show proof. The CO did ask me 3 questions, one in particular about what the document I was trying to get was for. So be prepared for a few questions. Not really a problem and the CO was nice and helpful.

We went to a provincial priest to ask about the marriage license, and he offered to issue the license and perform the civil ceremony for us. For a price he also offered to take care of it all that day. We accepted and were married immediately, but we had to go back after 10 days when I realized the marriage certificate said the license was issued a day before I arrived in the Philippines. In all it took us 14 days from my arrival to be officially married. We did not need to take the seminar because we're older.

Be warned that the official NSO marriage certificate may take 6 months to obtain. My wife was only able to get hers last week, and we were married September 11th.

Like most things in the Philippines, you have to actually talk with the person "in charge" - avoid the "underlings" so-to-speak - they have no authority and will just "give you a hard time". Go to the LOCAL NSO office and talk directly to the director. Request that she provide you with a (hand carried) letter to take to the MAIN NSO director in Quezon City. These "civil registries" are forwarded to headquarters in "BATCHES" - get the batch # and the DATE it was sent. You can get a legitimate NSO copy of a marriage license within 2-3 weeks (sometimes quicker).

By the way, I know a lot of expat Americans who have found it impossible to take their Filipina wives to the U.S.
Usually the problem is not with the sponsor but with the sordid past of the Filipina wife, or the fact that the American
has moved permanently to the Philippines and given up his "domicile" in the U.S. That is why a K-1 is a good "test".

I think one must have seminar esp. if you are going to have a traditional church wedding.