Experience Filing Report of Marriage (ROM) With the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco, CA - December 2024

[Edward and Jaycel 2,008]

*** UPDATE ***

 

I have been emailing the email address for the DFA every month to get the transmittal details to the PSA for our ROM since January and every time they have been replying that they do not have the December ROMs from the San Francisco Consulate yet.... Yadda Yadda. Finally this month we received this update from DFA:

Dear Ma'am/Sir,

Greetings from the Civil Registry Division - Americas Desk!

We apologize for the delay of the transmittal of your Report to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Please be informed that we are still waiting for the new original sets of registered reports from the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco as the initial reports we have received were photocopies.

Thank you for your understanding.

 

So it looks like the consulate was supposed to send the original filings to the DFA and keep a copy for themselves and they did the opposite. They sent the copies to the DFA and kept the originals there. 😆😆 Good Lord the Philippine bureaucracy never fails to entertain 🤪 

Edited May 23 by Edward and Jaycel

[EatBulaga 483]

On 5/23/2025 at 12:19 PM, Edward and Jaycel said:

*** UPDATE ***

 

I have been emailing the email address for the DFA every month to get the transmittal details to the PSA for our ROM since January and every time they have been replying that they do not have the December ROMs from the San Francisco Consulate yet.... Yadda Yadda. Finally this month we received this update from DFA:

Dear Ma'am/Sir,

Greetings from the Civil Registry Division - Americas Desk!

We apologize for the delay of the transmittal of your Report to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Please be informed that we are still waiting for the new original sets of registered reports from the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco as the initial reports we have received were photocopies.

Thank you for your understanding.

 

So it looks like the consulate was supposed to send the original filings to the DFA and keep a copy for themselves and they did the opposite. They sent the copies to the DFA and kept the originals there. 😆😆 Good Lord the Philippine bureaucracy never fails to entertain 🤪 

 

We sent off for the ROM, 2022-07, and received back the Philippines LA consulate filings and PSA copies, 2023-02.

🤷‍♂️

 

[Edward and Jaycel 2,008]

2 minutes ago, EatBulaga said:

We sent off for the ROM, 2022-07, and received back the Philippines LA consulate filings and PSA copies, 2023-02.

Oh Lordy.... We are waiting to be sure that the ROM has been transmitted to the PSA before asking for the PSA version because it's expensive to order 🤪

[Edward and Jaycel 2,008]

Finally, 8 months after receiving the completed ROM back from the consulate in San Francisco, the DFA just gave us the transmittal details. 🤪

[Isabella J 1]

On 12/21/2024 at 2:32 PM, Edward and Jaycel said:

Hi Everyone - I just wanted to share our experience filing our ROM with the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco. Timeline and a Screen Grab of our cover letter are below. We followed the information on the consulate's website exactly. This includes the "ROM Checklist" PDF that is downloadable from the site. 

 

Timeline:

 

ROM  Package completed and mailed via Priority Mail on 12/5/2024

USPS Attempted Delivery - 12/7/2024 Consulate Closed on Saturday

USPS Delivered to Front Desk / Mail Room - 12/9/2024

Return package with Signed & Sealed ROM and Receipt delivered back to us - 12/20/2024

 

Total time for processing and return delivery from date of receipt by consulate - 11 days

 

Screen Grab of our cover letter with itemized contents of package (Personal Information Removed):

 

 

 

Thank you so much for these details! As I understand it, you did not include your actual original marriage certificate? Just the certified true copy plus normal photocopies of that? Same for your birth certificate--you did not mail your original birth certificate? I keep getting confused on whether I need to mail the original original documents or not. Makes me a bit nervous to mail them.

[Edward and Jaycel 2,008]

3 minutes ago, Isabella J said:

Thank you so much for these details! As I understand it, you did not include your actual original marriage certificate? Just the certified true copy plus normal photocopies of that? Same for your birth certificate--you did not mail your original birth certificate? I keep getting confused on whether I need to mail the original original documents or not. Makes me a bit nervous to mail them.

 

When we registered our marriage with the county clerk, we asked for 10 certified true copies because we knew with the Adjustment of Status and things like this we would need them. For the ROM we just sent them a Certified True Copy plus photocopies. The Birth Certificates we just sent photocopies

[Elitevaz 6]

Thanks for posting this. I'm getting a preview of what's ahead of me. My fiance has her visa but isn't coming until next month. I'm looking forward to a short break from stressing over paperwork and then back to the fire with the AOS. This ROM process looks quite ridiculous.

[Nathan Alden, Sr. 17]

My wife and I filed the Report of Marriage in September 2024 and the PSA still hasn't processed it as of checking a couple of months ago. I emailed the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco and they are now quoting eight to twelve months for PSA processing. Absolutely insane.

Edited Monday at 08:21 PM by Nathan Alden, Sr.

[Edward and Jaycel 2,008]

54 minutes ago, Nathan Alden, Sr. said:

My wife and I filed the Report of Marriage in September 2024 and the PSA still hasn't processed it as of checking a couple of months ago. I emailed the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco and they are now quoting eight to twelve months for PSA processing. Absolutely insane.

 

Good God

55 minutes ago, Nathan Alden, Sr. said:

My wife and I filed the Report of Marriage in September 2024 and the PSA still hasn't processed it as of checking a couple of months ago. I emailed the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco and they are now quoting eight to twelve months for PSA processing. Absolutely insane.

 

Did you get your transmittal details from the DFA?

[Nathan Alden, Sr. 17]

I'm not sure how to know if I have transmittal details. The documents I sent to the consulate were returned to me stamped, though. Is it on that?

[Edward and Jaycel 2,008]

59 minutes ago, Nathan Alden, Sr. said:

I'm not sure how to know if I have transmittal details. The documents I sent to the consulate were returned to me stamped, though. Is it on that?

 

No, you have to send an email to oca.crd-us@dfa.gov.ph and request the transmittal details and attach a scanned copy of your approved ROM. Below is how we worded the email to them:
 

Good day Americas Desk!

 

We filed and received back our Report of Marriage to the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco, California in December 2024. We would like to request if the transmittal details of our ROM are available yet?  We have attached a copy of our approved ROM to this email for your review. Please let us know if you need any further information to honor this request.

 

Respectfully,

 

Edward [Last Name]

Jaycel [Last Name] (formerly Jaycel [Maiden Name])

123 Any Street

Anywhere, CO 12345

+1(999) 999-5499

[Theersink 39]

They must really be in chaos over there in SF with the new administration. Ours took 6 months, submitted Feb of last year and Jenny was able to get the ROM and change her name on her passport ect back in Oct of 2024. We never had to ask for transmittal details. At first PSA could not find the info but I had given the stamped documents to her with the receipt of payment I received back from SF consulate and PSA was able to sort it out. Suggestion is to have her go in to the office rather than by phone or online. The PSA lady told her that usually PSA just has to call the consulate and can get the details or the ROM. Seems to be a bit better experience in person.

[Nathan Alden, Sr. 17]

Thanks! I've sent them an email.