Doing Report of Marriage and passport renewal at Los Angeles Philippines Consulate

[russandraquel 86]

NOTE: Make sure philippines consulate los angeles has jurisdiction over your marriage.

 

"ONLY marriages contracted in the following places can be registered or reported at the Philippine Consulate General, Los Angeles, CA: (1) Southern California; (2)Southern Nevada (Clark, Lincoln and Nye Counties); and (3) Arizona."

 

We recently did the report of marriage and passport renewal at the Philippines Consular Office in Los Angeles. The website is a little incorrect about the requirements. Here are my version of the instructions:

 

• Park under the building. Enter on Mariposa Avenue. It's expensive.
• Step 1, file the report of marriage.
  • Both spouses have to be present, in person. The office is on the 5th floor. BUT you may need to stop by the third floor for a notary.
  • If you file the ROM more than a year after your marriage, fill out the delay affidavit form. Have it notarized on the third floor and make 3 additional copies (roughly $32 cash). Do this BEFORE you get to the 5th floor.
  • 4 copies of the ROM abroad form. Sign them in front of the officer.
  • One original marriage certificate and 4 extra photocopies. 1+4=5 papers total.
  • One original birth certificate and 4 extra photocopies. BOTH spouses, so 1+1+4+4=10 papers total.
  • 4 photocopies of passports. BOTH spouses, so 4+4=8 papers total. Bring the original passports, of course.
  • $25 cash (or cashier check or money order)
  • One prepaid USPS flat rate envelope is listed as a requirement on the website.
    • You only need this if you want your ROM document mailed to you. If you are picking it up in person, don't bother. But you will still need an envelope for your passport renewal.
    • If you are doing a name change on the passport, just buy one envelope. If they demand the envelope at this stage, give it to them and go buy another one on the third floor. You actually do need an envelope for the passport.
• Step 2, pick up your ROM paper to give to the passport side.
  • It says that ROM document release is 3-5 PM daily. If you complete yours before 12, you get it same day. If you complete it after 12, you get it next day.
  • We were unable to get back to the office when they called us on the same day for document release. They told us to return at 11 the next day.
    • We did return at 11 the next day, and the guy behind the counter didn't listen and told my wife that she would get a phonecall after 3.
    • The guy left for lunch and nobody appeared at the window until 2 PM. It was a different guy, and we explained we were told to get it at 11. He took our receipt, turned around, and about ten seconds later handed us a paper that was sitting on the table behind him.
    • Don't be afraid to be assertive (politely) and talk directly to the civil registry person. The first guy working the window did not look like he wanted to be there or help anyone. If we had been assertive in the first place, we might have gotten the document at 11:00 as expected. 
• Tips:
  • Do not drop off your wife/husband so you can avoid paying for parking. I thought about this, but I was super glad that I didn't when I had to get in there and be assertive.
  • Get everything in order and check the philippines consular office website: http://www.philippineconsulatela.org/ for all the requirements and guidelines.

 

Finally, we got the ROM. Fortunately, we were able to do part 2 immediately after the ROM and only make 2 trips to this place in total. Your mileage may vary.

 

• Step 3, get the passport name changed:
  • When there are a lot of folks, they will only let the passport renewers in the office. So make sure your spouse has all of the papers.
  • The requirements change depending on which passport you hold (the old ones with no chip have different instructions, for example). See the website for details.
  • Requirements
    • The Filipino must be there in person to do this and be dressed decent. They will be taking pictures. So wear sleeves/collars.
    • Copy of passport picture page and actual passport
    • Birth Certificate (original) was requested by them and one photocopy (not listed on website)
    • Marriage Certificate (original) was requested by them and one photocopy (not listed on website)
    • New Passport Renewal form for adults
    • ROM document from above (We didn't need an extra copy, they took the original)
    • $60 cash (or cashier check or money order)
    • Self addressed flat rate envelope from USPS

 

Here are some travel tips:

 

• Stay in Airbnb. There are good, safe options that are close to this place. We stayed about 5 minutes away and it was cheaper than any hotel I could find. Search for Koreatown on Airbnb.
• Plan on this taking two days.
• Neri's Filipino food (very close to consular office) is good and can turn a hangry wife into a happy one.

 

 

 

 

[Pengunista 221]

Question, the original birth certificate and marriage certificate, they just want to see it right? And not plan to keep it?

 

 

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

9 minutes ago, Pengunista said:

Question, the original birth certificate and marriage certificate, they just want to see it right? And not plan to keep it?

 

 

They want to see it and you will need to have copies of each

Edited January 20, 2019 by Cyberfx1024

[Pengunista 221]

@Cyberfx1024 okay, perfect! Thank you.

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

7 minutes ago, Pengunista said:

@Cyberfx1024 okay, perfect! Thank you.

Please remember that you can do it in person or mail it in. We mailed it in and it took 4 weeks

[Pengunista 221]

@Cyberfx1024 okay, I do want to mail it in actually, I live in Sacramento which means I will have to go all the way to SF for it. So if I mail it, will they return the original marriage certificate and the birth certificate or do I have to send just copies?

[Cyberfx1024 7,978]

3 minutes ago, Pengunista said:

@Cyberfx1024 okay, I do want to mail it in actually, I live in Sacramento which means I will have to go all the way to SF for it. So if I mail it, will they return the original marriage certificate and the birth certificate or do I have to send just copies?

 

3 minutes ago, Pengunista said:

@Cyberfx1024 okay, I do want to mail it in actually, I live in Sacramento which means I will have to go all the way to SF for it. So if I mail it, will they return the original marriage certificate and the birth certificate or do I have to send just copies?

No, they will send it back. You will have to send a self addressed already paid for envelope so that they can mail it back to you. 

We were living in Los Angeles when we mailed it to the embassy in Washington DC because we got married in NC.

[ZKT 118]

4 hours ago, Pengunista said:

@Cyberfx1024 okay, I do want to mail it in actually, I live in Sacramento which means I will have to go all the way to SF for it. So if I mail it, will they return the original marriage certificate and the birth certificate or do I have to send just copies?

 the nice thing about doing rom in person is you can do your new passport in your married name too. you need to go there in person to actually get your biometrics done and picture taken. anyway, i did mine in 1 day. and i'm so happy i did. less paper work if i mailed it. and then if you do your passport change later on you'd be asked to get a cemar from psa which is a hassle since that's from the phil. i dunno... 1 time going there doesn't sound so bad. i live super far from the la consulate. 4-5 hrs.but yeah did it without any problems! i was in at 8am and out by 3pm.... and that was a super busy day cause it was the day after thanksgiving. so on normal days i hear you can be done with both by 12 or 1pm. 

[Chris Duffy 1,256]

Why waste your time doing ROM?

[Pengunista 221]

@Chris Duffy don’t I need it? I changed name and when the time comes that I need to renew my Philippine passport I want it to be on my new name. Can you do that without doing ROM?

[Chris Duffy 1,256]

2 minutes ago, Pengunista said:

@Chris Duffy don’t I need it? I changed name and when the time comes that I need to renew my Philippine passport I want it to be on my new name. Can you do that without doing ROM?

I don't think you can.

 

We have decided to just leave my wifes passport in her maiden name, Too much of a hassle to change it.

[Pengunista 221]

@Chris Duffyoh okay, yeah, the fact that I changed name, I have no choice but to do the ROM I did my AOS using my new name, so it just make sense to do a name change on my passport also. 

[Chris Duffy 1,256]

11 minutes ago, Pengunista said:

@Chris Duffyoh okay, yeah, the fact that I changed name, I have no choice but to do the ROM I did my AOS using my new name, so it just make sense to do a name change on my passport also. 

That doesn't make sense to me

 

My wife changed her name on AOS, still has PI passport in her name and she renewed it in her maiden name.

[Pengunista 221]

@Chris Duffywhen she got her EAD/AP is it in her new name? Since I filed my AOS with EAD/AP if and when I get the combo card and it happens to be in my new name can I use my passport that has my maiden name to travel or does it need to match the name on my EAD/AP combo card?

[icanbenobody 187]

How did you guys fill the area on the top of ROM form that say wife last name before marriage?in that box has a big word say "SINGLE" should i put my last name next to that word say single?