Got married in Thailand, didn't bother reporting it to Philippine embassy...Issues?

[tipaklongkano 13]

So, my wife and I got married in Bangkok and never bothered to report it to the Philippine embassy. We didn't think that, for purposes of immigration to the US, it'd matter. We're married, and that's that.

But...she filed for her NBI (police) clearance today, and it asked her civil status. She put single, because according to the Philippines, she is single. Again, she is not registered as married in the Philippines. I didn't this would be a problem,

but in looking at example clearances online, the document DOES list her civil status, and it will most definitely say SINGLE. Is the NVC gonna take one look at it say "Nope!"? Will it be a problem at the interview? Or,

should she just reapply for a new NBI, saying she made a mistake, and this time put "married"? What if they ask for proof? Will they accept the Thai marriage documents, or is she going to have to go through all that time-consuming nonsense of reporting the marriage?

Does any of this make any sense? It's late, and I'm rambling.

[Penguin_ie 5,986]

******* Moving from CR-1 to Philippines forum as country specific ********

[joglen1210 10]

So, my wife and I got married in Bangkok and never bothered to report it to the Philippine embassy. We didn't think that, for purposes of immigration to the US, it'd matter. We're married, and that's that.

But...she filed for her NBI (police) clearance today, and it asked her civil status. She put single, because according to the Philippines, she is single. Again, she is not registered as married in the Philippines. I didn't this would be a problem,

but in looking at example clearances online, the document DOES list her civil status, and it will most definitely say SINGLE. Is the NVC gonna take one look at it say "Nope!"? Will it be a problem at the interview? Or,

should she just reapply for a new NBI, saying she made a mistake, and this time put "married"? What if they ask for proof? Will they accept the Thai marriage documents, or is she going to have to go through all that time-consuming nonsense of reporting the marriage?

Does any of this make any sense? It's late, and I'm rambling.

I believe its up to you to report the marriage or not - as long as it is valid in the country where you got married, it is valid everywhere even in the US. It will be recognized by the Phil government and you can report them to the Phil Census bureau or not. It all depends on you. If you are thinking about future processing at the US Consul, they will recognize your marriage in Thailand as long as it is an official Thai document - they may just ask her why she got married in Thailand, not in the Phils. Actually, the being single in the document will show proof that she was free to marry and will not even pose a problem. Its just an opinion.

[MrsAwakened 7]

I'm sorry if this isn't a lot of help but...don't you think that's weird for someone who is in love and in a real marriage to "accidentally" put single instead of married? Since you're doing a green card based on marriage you should make sure you have as much proof as possible that your marriage is a bona-fide one. "Accidentally" putting single sounds weird to me even though I believe you are in a sincere marriage lol You and I are using different embassies but just from my husband's experience, they really emphasized our marriage. They asked questions and wanted to see the pictures we already included in the packet. Thankfully I had a feeling they would so I told him to bring them again. Anywhere you get married outside the US still counts as marriage in the US. Hopefully you reported your marriage to the US, at least? I suggest she does redo it before sending the stuff to the USCIS/NVC. It may suck but when it comes to this process, you have to be perfect, just in case. NVC tried to say we didn't send my husband's police certificate so we had to go get a new one, just for them to randomly find it again and send us a case complete. That held us back about a month. This marriage green card is based on your marriage so you should make sure it's perfect so there are no suspicions that may cause delays. If I was you, I'd rather explain the accident to the Philippines government people than the USCIS ._.

[tipaklongkano 13]

Thanks for replying. That's thing. I want to do everything i can to make our marriage seem legit (and of course it is!) It's just we are trying to avoid unnecessary hassle, which can be difficult when dealing with the Philippine government. Our thinking was that if she put "married" on the application, they'd ask for proof of our having registered our marriage in the Philippines. We never did that. We don't want to have to do that, because it would require one of us, or a third party, to go to the Philippine embassy in Bangkok. As far as i know, there's no way to actually register a foreign marriage in the Philippines. That's the whole point just putting "single" on the application. We thought it would make things simpler. We didn't know that the actual NBI Clearance would actually display her civil status! So, what i think we're gonna do is re-do the application, saying she rushed through it and accidentally put single, and in the box where it asks for the husband's name, just write "I only use my maiden name". Makes sense, right? I just want to do this the right way, the first time. No delays.

[Hank_ 9,173]

So, my wife and I got married in Bangkok and never bothered to report it to the Philippine embassy. We didn't think that, for purposes of immigration to the US, it'd matter. We're married, and that's that.

But...she filed for her NBI (police) clearance today, and it asked her civil status. She put single, because according to the Philippines, she is single. Again, she is not registered as married in the Philippines. I didn't this would be a problem,

but in looking at example clearances online, the document DOES list her civil status, and it will most definitely say SINGLE. Is the NVC gonna take one look at it say "Nope!"? Will it be a problem at the interview? Or,

should she just reapply for a new NBI, saying she made a mistake, and this time put "married"? What if they ask for proof? Will they accept the Thai marriage documents, or is she going to have to go through all that time-consuming nonsense of reporting the marriage?

Does any of this make any sense? It's late, and I'm rambling.

You are NOT required to report the marriage abroad to the Philippines. For the visa process you will need to include a certified copy of your marriage certificate from Thailand (translated) along with the CENOMAR. Do make sure to have an extra copy of the CENOMAR and translated marriage certificate for the interview at the embassy.

(As for the CENOMAR, normally when a person is married in the Philippines and they request a CENOMAR, PSA (NSO) will issue a CEMAR - Certificate of Marriage. )

Now here is the fun part - IF ... If at a future date you decide to report the marriage, so that your wife can get her Philippine passport in her married name (or many years down the road reacquire her citizenship in her marriage name), this will have to be done through the Philippine consulate representing the country/state where you were married. Luckily this can be done through the mail, normally taking 6-8 weeks.

[Caykay1 71]

So, my wife and I got married in Bangkok and never bothered to report it to the Philippine embassy. We didn't think that, for purposes of immigration to the US, it'd matter. We're married, and that's that.

But...she filed for her NBI (police) clearance today, and it asked her civil status. She put single, because according to the Philippines, she is single. Again, she is not registered as married in the Philippines. I didn't this would be a problem,

but in looking at example clearances online, the document DOES list her civil status, and it will most definitely say SINGLE. Is the NVC gonna take one look at it say "Nope!"? Will it be a problem at the interview? Or,

should she just reapply for a new NBI, saying she made a mistake, and this time put "married"? What if they ask for proof? Will they accept the Thai marriage documents, or is she going to have to go through all that time-consuming nonsense of reporting the marriage?

Does any of this make any sense? It's late, and I'm rambling.

Since you did not report it, do you have any prove (certificate) for marriage? Do you at all have anything for prove? If not then start getting concerned.

[Hank_ 9,173]

Since you did not report it, do you have any prove (certificate) for marriage? Do you at all have anything for prove? If not then start getting concerned.

ROM (Report of Marriage) is for the Philippine government, through the PSA, all marriages from within the Philippines are reported to PSA, with foreign marriages it is up to the couple. Has nothing to do with the actual marriage certificate

[tipaklongkano 13]

You are NOT required to report the marriage abroad to the Philippines. For the visa process you will need to include a certified copy of your marriage certificate from Thailand (translated) along with the CENOMAR. Do make sure to have an extra copy of the CENOMAR and translated marriage certificate for the interview at the embassy.

(As for the CENOMAR, normally when a person is married in the Philippines and they request a CENOMAR, PSA (NSO) will issue a CEMAR - Certificate of Marriage. )

Now here is the fun part - IF ... If at a future date you decide to report the marriage, so that your wife can get her Philippine passport in her married name (or many years down the road reacquire her citizenship in her marriage name), this will have to be done through the Philippine consulate representing the country/state where you were married. Luckily this can be done through the mail, normally taking 6-8 weeks.

Ok. So you're saying that even though she's already married (in Thailand), she should still go get a CENOMAR? Wouldn't she be lying? Or is it simply a document stating that she has never been married in the PHILIPPINES? Getting it after the fact won't be a problem? I would assume CEMAR is out of the question for reasons already discussed.

But how to handle the NBI clearance issue? What should she say on the application where it asks about civil status? Single, since according to Philippine civil records, she is single? And if she does say single, wouldn't that be a problem when submitting it to the NVC? "Why is she submitting a new document that says she's single when they're actually supposed to be married?! DENIED!"

[Hank_ 9,173]

Ok. So you're saying that even though she's already married (in Thailand), she should still go get a CENOMAR? Wouldn't she be lying? Or is it simply a document stating that she has never been married in the PHILIPPINES? Getting it after the fact won't be a problem? I would assume CEMAR is out of the question for reasons already discussed.

But how to handle the NBI clearance issue? What should she say on the application where it asks about civil status? Single, since according to Philippine civil records, she is single? And if she does say single, wouldn't that be a problem when submitting it to the NVC? "Why is she submitting a new document that says she's single when they're actually supposed to be married?! DENIED!"

Correct, a CEMAR is out of the question, your wife would get a CENOMAR in her maiden/single name. Then you provide NVC and USEM with the CENOMAR and Marriage certificate (translated). Your wife is only "single" in the Philippines, to the rest of the planet she is married.

For the NBI you would get that in the maiden/name with an AKA for her married name (bring a copy of the marriage certificate to NBI ), NBI might balk at the AKA.

[tipaklongkano 13]

Correct, a CEMAR is out of the question, your wife would get a CENOMAR in her maiden/single name. Then you provide NVC and USEM with the CENOMAR and Marriage certificate (translated). Your wife is only "single" in the Philippines, to the rest of the planet she is married.

For the NBI you would get that in the maiden/name with an AKA for her married name (bring a copy of the marriage certificate to NBI ), NBI might balk at the AKA.

Thank you very much for your help in providing much need clarity. I very much appreciate it. One more thing though. I didn't think NVC needed the CENOMAR. Thought that's the embassy's thing.

[Hank_ 9,173]

Thank you very much for your help in providing much need clarity. I very much appreciate it. One more thing though. I didn't think NVC needed the CENOMAR. Thought that's the embassy's thing.

You initially asked about the CENOMAR for NVC:

.. but in looking at example clearances online, the document DOES list her civil status, and it will most definitely say SINGLE. Is the NVC gonna take one look at it say "Nope!"?

I am not a pro on what NVC requires, they do mail you a list I believe. But for sure have a CENOMAR for the embassy

https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/immigrate/immigrant-process/documents/Supporting_documents.html

Edited May 29, 2016 by Hank_

[blondedoc 35]

Once it doesn´t matter where you got married, the marriage is valued worldwide.

I didn´t made my marriage valued in Brazil but I use ALWAYS married, even because you are officially married and if you say differently, it doens´t matter where, you are making a fraud!

[tipaklongkano 13]

Very good. May I message you in the future if I have more questions?

[Hank_ 9,173]

Once it doesn´t matter where you got married, the marriage is valued worldwide.

I didn´t made my marriage valued in Brazil but I use ALWAYS married, even because you are officially married and if you say differently, it doens´t matter where, you are making a fraud!

- almost true. The marriage is recognized everywhere in the world EXCEPT the Philippines, there she is still single until the marriage is officially recorded through the required process.

Question - is your wife's passport in her married or single name?