Has anyone gotten married in the Philippines?

[Prettyredmaple 0]

I just want to be prepared for any documentation I need to show I am legally able to marry a filipina in her own country. I have notarized copies of my divorce including the court docket. Of course I will have my passport, driver's licence and probably birth certificate.

In addition, what must I bring to file for the marriage licenced in her town in the province?

[mamalou 0]

I just want to be prepared for any documentation I need to show I am legally able to marry a filipina in her own country. I have notarized copies of my divorce including the court docket. Of course I will have my passport, driver's licence and probably birth certificate.

In addition, what must I bring to file for the marriage licenced in her town in the province?

If you are a US citizen want to marry here in the Philippines? first you go to the USEMbassy Manila have your documents ready like Divorce decree + Birth Cert+ passport & U can get ''Legal Capacity'' doc from there pay 30usd. Next step is to go the Municipality or City Hall where your Fiancee lived go to the Civil Registry Dept. submit the Legal Capacity (have it photocopied for future use)+ you & your Fiancee BC + Divorce decree & get a Marriage License payment is less than 100 pesos, (don't talk to any fixer in applying for a Marriage License they will charge you big amount because you are a foreigner)you will be given 10 days to wait, while waiting you can arrange the wedding, also there is seminar for both of you to attend( Marriage Counseling), then after 10 days you can already claim the Marriage License & You can now Get married in the Church or in a Civil Ceremony. this is a step by step guide for you based on my experienced. Ok, Good Luck.

[ronald dallas 0]

You have to go to the us embassy in manila and get what they call a legal capacity document

[Dakine 26]

I just want to be prepared for any documentation I need to show I am legally able to marry a filipina in her own country. I have notarized copies of my divorce including the court docket. Of course I will have my passport, driver's licence and probably birth certificate.

In addition, what must I bring to file for the marriage licenced in her town in the province?

Since you are just starting go to USEM site for most accurate answers.

EX.

http://manila.usembassy.gov/wwwha009.html

[Troy W 0]

WARNING LONG READ…. Ignore if you are easily bored lol

I had the divorce documents but they didn’t ask for them, I had e-mailed the embassy prior to going to manila and they just said passport, birth certificate and certified divorce documents for all previous marriages.

It was simple and quick; the whole thing took about 45 minutes.

When you go to the city offices to get your marriage license plan on spending several hours there, also bring an ice bag for your wrist, all the forms you will have to sign are a pain.

I got married in Libmanan and the whole process was very informal, It helped that one of the aunts of my fiancé was good friends of the woman that does the marriage license’s.

The counseling session was a hoot, I have never laughed so hard in my life….The questions were in Bicol so they had to be translated verbally for me, and my wife and I were sitting right next o each other when we did it. As I was already married before they only asked me a subset of the questions, I also feel they shorted it a little because the person giving the questions really struggled with the translations. She kept saying he nose was bleeding. But all in all, all the questions were about good communication and responsibilities of each party in the marriage. A lot of it was out dated and it sounded like it came from good house keeping magazine from the 50’s if you know what I mean……..

If you either of you have been married before don’t bother with the Catholic Church unless you have your annulment papers, the bishops are very very conservative there. We did a neighborhood wedding and I swear the WHOLE neighborhood was there. there must have been over 200 people witnessing our wedding.

The day before our wedding, I had a 3 hour conversation with the Mayor, My fiancé was considered to be a beloved daughter of the WHOLE neighborhood and all the elders wanted to get to know me. The mayor also lived in the same neighborhood so he was the one to do the questioning. It was fun and informal but they also wanted very detailed information about my life and previous marriage. Ohhh and if it is the same type of neighborhood my fiancé is from (Rice Farming) plan on drinking LOTS AND LOTS of brandy. After they force fed me brandy and questioned me about every aspect of my life, finally the mayor and the elders spoke to each other and decided I was sincere in my intents, and would make a good husband for one of “their girls” he stood up shook my hand and said I like you troy so I will be here at 10 am tomorrow to give the vows…..lol this surprised me neither myself or my wife expected them to be so protective of her like that. But in retrospect as after the wedding I now see that if the Mayor and the elders did not like me they would not have married us. But at the same time they really wanted to protect their “daughter”

As for the wedding ceremony well what can I say it took 2 days lol…. First and foremost there was VERY VERY loud music playing for 2 days strait even at night (made it hard to sleep the night before) Everyone and I mean Everyone helped prepare for the wedding, anyone that attended had some duty to perform. Basically I wandered around in a fog trying to stay out of everyone’s way and if I got into an area where work was going on and tried to help I was shooed away or some one would come grab me and try to force feed me MORE brandy.

The wedding ceremony was a simple affair, but it was the first wedding I have ever seen where the vows were spoken while sitting down. It was quick and painless (except for the brandy hang over from the night before).

Dinner and the cake were fun and the food was very good, If you have never been to the Philippines before, you will find that their diet is a lot of pork, and chicken and rice. But almost all of it is very good.

After the wedding there will be a dance where people pin money to you, if you don’t know the dance some one will show you, my wife and I both did not know the dance steps so her father took her and an aunt took me through it. as an American in the Philippines the money they pinned on me really didn’t amount to much so don’t worry about it, it is a gift from people that honestly cant afford it. 500 peso to them is a lot of money 500 peso to us is about 10 bucks. Be appreciative nod and say thank you a lot. Make them feel that you really appreciate what they are doing. In the end I gave all the money to my wife’s parents as I felt they could use it much more than I could.

I can honestly say that I have never felt so much a part of a family as I felt with them. In the end before I left the last time I was told my wife’s parents that to them I was as much a son to them as if I was their real son.

I loved being in the Philippines so much and was made so welcome by my wife’s family I can honestly say I will do anything for them and there will be MANY MANY trips back to visit. Our kids will know and appreciate their heritage, both the American and the Filipino.

[gil-n-joy 1]

WARNING LONG READ…. Ignore if you are easily bored lol

I had the divorce documents but they didn’t ask for them, I had e-mailed the embassy prior to going to manila and they just said passport, birth certificate and certified divorce documents for all previous marriages.

It was simple and quick; the whole thing took about 45 minutes.

When you go to the city offices to get your marriage license plan on spending several hours there, also bring an ice bag for your wrist, all the forms you will have to sign are a pain.

I got married in Libmanan and the whole process was very informal, It helped that one of the aunts of my fiancé was good friends of the woman that does the marriage license’s.

The counseling session was a hoot, I have never laughed so hard in my life….The questions were in Bicol so they had to be translated verbally for me, and my wife and I were sitting right next o each other when we did it. As I was already married before they only asked me a subset of the questions, I also feel they shorted it a little because the person giving the questions really struggled with the translations. She kept saying he nose was bleeding. But all in all, all the questions were about good communication and responsibilities of each party in the marriage. A lot of it was out dated and it sounded like it came from good house keeping magazine from the 50’s if you know what I mean……..

If you either of you have been married before don’t bother with the Catholic Church unless you have your annulment papers, the bishops are very very conservative there. We did a neighborhood wedding and I swear the WHOLE neighborhood was there. there must have been over 200 people witnessing our wedding.

The day before our wedding, I had a 3 hour conversation with the Mayor, My fiancé was considered to be a beloved daughter of the WHOLE neighborhood and all the elders wanted to get to know me. The mayor also lived in the same neighborhood so he was the one to do the questioning. It was fun and informal but they also wanted very detailed information about my life and previous marriage. Ohhh and if it is the same type of neighborhood my fiancé is from (Rice Farming) plan on drinking LOTS AND LOTS of brandy. After they force fed me brandy and questioned me about every aspect of my life, finally the mayor and the elders spoke to each other and decided I was sincere in my intents, and would make a good husband for one of “their girls” he stood up shook my hand and said I like you troy so I will be here at 10 am tomorrow to give the vows…..lol this surprised me neither myself or my wife expected them to be so protective of her like that. But in retrospect as after the wedding I now see that if the Mayor and the elders did not like me they would not have married us. But at the same time they really wanted to protect their “daughter”

As for the wedding ceremony well what can I say it took 2 days lol…. First and foremost there was VERY VERY loud music playing for 2 days strait even at night (made it hard to sleep the night before) Everyone and I mean Everyone helped prepare for the wedding, anyone that attended had some duty to perform. Basically I wandered around in a fog trying to stay out of everyone’s way and if I got into an area where work was going on and tried to help I was shooed away or some one would come grab me and try to force feed me MORE brandy.

The wedding ceremony was a simple affair, but it was the first wedding I have ever seen where the vows were spoken while sitting down. It was quick and painless (except for the brandy hang over from the night before).

Dinner and the cake were fun and the food was very good, If you have never been to the Philippines before, you will find that their diet is a lot of pork, and chicken and rice. But almost all of it is very good.

After the wedding there will be a dance where people pin money to you, if you don’t know the dance some one will show you, my wife and I both did not know the dance steps so her father took her and an aunt took me through it. as an American in the Philippines the money they pinned on me really didn’t amount to much so don’t worry about it, it is a gift from people that honestly cant afford it. 500 peso to them is a lot of money 500 peso to us is about 10 bucks. Be appreciative nod and say thank you a lot. Make them feel that you really appreciate what they are doing. In the end I gave all the money to my wife’s parents as I felt they could use it much more than I could.

I can honestly say that I have never felt so much a part of a family as I felt with them. In the end before I left the last time I was told my wife’s parents that to them I was as much a son to them as if I was their real son.

I loved being in the Philippines so much and was made so welcome by my wife’s family I can honestly say I will do anything for them and there will be MANY MANY trips back to visit. Our kids will know and appreciate their heritage, both the American and the Filipino.

this is really touching.. I am a filipina engaged to my american fiance... my family and friends loved my fiance even at the first time they met him.. he has been very kind to them and they all loved him.. my mother and sibs were as teary-eyed as me when he left for his flight back to US.. PS he was forced fed with brandy too and made to eat balut..haha

[geezer 1]

You have to go to the us embassy in manila and get what they call a legal capacity document

I got the legal capacity capacity from the embassy, then we used various relatives as "Fixers" and got married 10 days later. Very efficient and I'll always be glad we married there.

[hearsay 1]

Go here for best and most accurate answers.

Edited February 20, 2009 by waiting4visas