GaryKO

Good day VJ family,

I just wanna ask if there are other option to take if foreign fiance wants to marry here in the Philippines but he cannot take the 10days off to wait for the marriage license to be released?

Is there any option? Thank you and more power

The only option is for the fiancee to go to the local civil registrar and explain the situation, the fiance is out of the country and can only stay a short time when he comes to get married. Ask if she can apply for the marriage license application herself, and her fiance supply his documents by mail or when he arrives. This way the 10 day waiting period can be observed, and everyone is happy.

It is a Myth that both parties must apply for the marriage license, not all civil registrars will allow this but most will, what you need to do is ask. This is done all the time in the Philippines, one party is out of the country, lives in a part of the PH where travel would be a burden, or is a OFW. One person who is getting married appears in person and gets the application form, sends the form to the person out of the country, they sign the form and have it notarized, then mails back form and necessary documents. In the case where one party is a foreigner they will supply certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage when they arrive to pick up the marriage license.

Was this before they closed PRISM and St. Mary's for doing seminars?

First of Sept, 2012

No I didn't see it on the CFO website, someone on here was told by the personnel at CFO that they had to return to the same office.... just repeating it. Yup I know they can get it at the airport (with calling ahead to make sure the person is in the office), it could have been a grumpy or lazy person at that CFO office don't know.

Well it is the Philippines and the rules are whatever they are today! My wife needed the CFO certificate to change her passport to her married name so she went to Cebu for the certificate 3 months before her embassy interview. Then after she received her visa and the day before her flight to the US she got the CFO sticker in Manila. But it would be a good idea to ask when you get the certificate if you can get the sticker at any CFO office after you have visa in hand.

I found through searching a reference to NSO Certificate Republic Act 9048. Does anyone know if this middle name mix-up is covered under "clerical errors"?

Need start at the local civil registry office "where you got your marriage license" and ask them what is required to change the name on the marriage cert.

Well, in that last paragraph, you completely missed my point. You're 60, so technically you could have had a daughter who would be 40 years old.

Maybe I just follow a different set of morals and standards, but I also try to look at the big picture. My wife is 4.5 years younger, which is nothing. When I retire, she'll be pretty close to retiring too. When I'm old and in a nursing home, I'm not gonna be leaving my 20-something year old wife to take care of the kids by herself. If you think that's OK, then that's your own selfish desire. Just because it's legal, doesn't make it right.

So your high morals and standards does not allow you to marry a much younger woman, but the same morals and standards do allow you travel 8000 miles to find a wife and marry someone from another race and bring Amerasians kids into the world? That would be against lots of peoples morals! The fact that lots of people would not consider a mixed race marriage would keep you from doing so? You don't think men who marry a much younger woman took in to consideration what the future holds for both of them? What would your wife do if you died early? My wife would be very well off, if I died tomorrow or die in a nursing home.

Add up quickly? Not really. Not in a small city like Metro Manila.

From NAIA to Ermita, you're looking at 3-4k. That's still less than p100.

Unless the prices have gone up in the past few months? I lived and worked in Manila for years.

How long have you guys lived there that got charges p500 for a short ride???

Maybe they moved Ermita, but when I live there it was 11km from NAIA.

Hi, Me and my wife already married in the U.S by civil ceremony would like to have a church or garden wedding in the Philippines. We are both catholic but catholic wedding has been ruled out because according to our church deacon I the husband was never confirmed and they can not confirm me because i married my wife civilly within 90 days. Anyways we want to go in the Philippines and find someone that can marry us or should i say renew our vows in a larger propper ceremony weather its outside or in a church it doesnt matter. Do they have pastors that do this?

Thanks for your help!

You are already married in the US, so you will not be getting married in the Philippines. You will just be having ceremony to renew your vows. You can get anyone you like except a catholic priest, they are rules for renewing vows also, similar to getting married in a catholic church. So you can get a pastor of another church like Baptist church, or you can have a mayor, or anyone else you like to perform the ceremony since it will not be a official wedding, and no marriage license required.

The ceremony can be just like a wedding, down to every detail, just you can't be officially married again.

Anyone know average Taxi fare from the local Manila airport to the embassy area or Lotus Garden hotel?

Using Tiger Air as airline

Thanks

Give you some advise, taxi rates in manila are among some of the cheapest in the world, but you need to be careful what kind of taxi you jump into. Normal taxi rates the white no aircon taxis with marking is P30Php for the first 1KM then 2.50PHP every 300 meters. The aircon taxis white taxis are 40PHP for the first 1KM then 3.50Php every 300 meters. The Yellow taxis are 70PHP for the first 1KM then 400PHP every 300 meters. The embassy area is about 8 miles from the airport or 12.9KM. If you take a aircon taxi then it will be 40 peso + 11900 meters or 139PHP total about 180PHP "the best possible rate". This is if the taxi takes the shortest route, but depending on traffic this may not be the case, or if there is a lot of waiting time in traffic. So plan on paying from 250Php to 500PHP.

Good advise is to just prepay the taxi at the airport "taxi booth in front of terminal" and get a safe taxi, you will not get ripped off, don't need to argue with the driver getting them to turn on the meter, or getting took on a tour of manila to pad the price. The prepaid price is about 500PHP or about $12.50. If this is your first time to Manila, of if your arriving late at night. Any taxi you get into make sure the diver turns on the meter, if he will not then get out and get another taxi or your bill could be 1000PHP or more.

For I-130 cases, none of the official government websites say anything about an appointment letter being needed for the medical.

Is the appointment letter actually needed? If so, will it come in email or snail mail?

If you gave NVC yours and your wife's email when you called to get your MNL number or IIN number then they will email the appointment letter to both of you. Print out the appointment letter when you get it, and take that to medical.

i got married at virginia. and my only question is if the middle name matterson the marriage certificate. cos i just wrote DEBRA LOU ROMERO which should be DEBRA LOU LEGASPI ROMERO.

im on a spousal visa. i came here as a j1 student visa

I would not worry about that, It will not affect your AOS. Lots of Filipinas that get married in the US, drop what you call the middle name "mothers maiden name", or simply use a initial for middle name. It will be entirely up to you after your married if you use Romero in your name, some keep the family name as middle name, some drop it. If your marriage certificate is hand written, then add the letter L.

Divorce in USA, make sure you are the one who files for divorce, that way she can have the foreign divorce recognized in the Philippines. You do not file for annulment, she just needs to have the foreign divorce judicially recognized in the Philippines. This is good for you too, that way both can remarry in the Philippines if the want too.

If you can agree on things, you can get divorce papers on the internet, and file them with your court office yourself and save hundreds.

Happy holidays!

Currently preparing for the upcoming interview and I just have a few questions...

1. I sent all originals with photocopies to NVC. In the appointment letter from NVC, all documents needed are marked with Y (The required document has been received) and O (The original document has been received and accepted as meeting post requirements). The civil documents sent were the BC, MC, NBI Clearance, CEMAR. Do I still need to bring another set of originals and photocopy to the interview?

2. Recently quit my job and doing freelance research work now, I will be bringing an updated DS-230 to reflect the change in employment info. Should I voluntarily present this or wait to be asked for it?

3. About the photos, I just plan on bringing our wedding album and a photo book from our visits to each other prior to getting married, are these OK?

Thanks in advance!

The DS-230 is for the beneficiary, are you the beneficiary or the petitioner? If you are the beneficiary your changing jobs don't matter that much. I assume you are the petitioner.

We took all originals to interview just in case they misplaced what we sent to NVC. Also got a updated NBI clearance that was not over 3 months old. They know your married by looking at the CENMAR, they do ask to see a few pictures of wedding and reception, but what they really want to know if the relationship after marriage is on going. It depends on the CO but some want to see proof like , phone bills, chat logs, evidence of money being sent to her from you, receipts for the wedding ring, any other evidence that your relationship is on going you should take to the interview. Your wife needs to know things about you, because she may be asked questions about you that a wife should know about her husband, like where do you live, where you work, how long you have worked there, what kind of work do you do, where will she live in the US, will she work in the US, what kind of work will she do, your kids names if you have any, your mothers maiden name, and her age, your birthday, how old are you, have you been married before, how many times, how do you communicate, when was the last time you when to the PH . So prepare her to answer these question, if your work has changed since the application was filed, also send her your most resent pay stubs from you present job, along with a letter from your employer stating your job future and current salary.

The interview is to see if the marriage is real and not for immigration purposes, so be prepared to prove that. If the documents are all correct, then the only burden to prove is a bona fide marriage and on going relationship, and the ability to provide financial support of her after she comes to the USA. I would say you just need to provide proof of income on your present job at the interview, if that is different than on the I-864, you may want to sent her a updated I-864 just in case, but I think they will just use the info off your tax returns to establish family income.

I love my wife very,very,very much but sometimes she is sooooo strange.

We just finished eating our dinner. Salad, and potato .

Then while I was starting to clean some of the dishes I turned to

Notice my wife pouring maple syrup onto a cold piece of left over

French toast from this morning.

She then folded it like a taco, and ate it over the sink.

Why ?

She is probably starving to death, take her to a Filipino grocery store!

Most likely it is stress causing hair to fall out. The visa process and leaving your home, family, friends and starting a new life can be very stressful to anyone. The medical term is "Telogen Effluvium". The hair loss will slow with time.

hello fellow vjers/kababayans! i need some advice on bank account situation, my wife will be issued an interview soon in the philippines and we need a joint account. i tried enrolling her on my account here in U.S but they said she needs a SSN# which she does not have since shes still in phil. anyone have opinion/ advice on this? do we really need a proof of co-mingling of account in order to pass her interview?? pls i need some answers.... ty in advance

Joint bank account is not necessary unless your living together, but you need extensive documentary evidence from the start of the relationship until the interview. Cards, letters, emails, photographs, "wedding/reception", pictures together with different dates, phone records, chat logs, receipts of money sent, and any other evidence that your relationship is on going. They may or may not look at it, but you need to bring it.

I do know how things work here in regards to family law. The OP acknowledged the child is illegitimate and recognized by the father on the NSO records.

I still am amazed that any man could attempt to defend what the OP is trying to do with another man's child. If it was your own child you'd be on this forum screaming until your were blue in the face that your rights as a father were going to be violated.

What makes the child illegitimate is they were not married when the child was born, when the birth was recorded if she put the fathers name on the application then he will be listed on the NSO birth cert as the child's father. She could have put your name there, or she could have left it blank. If the birth cert has the child's last name as the same as the mothers last name then the father did not acknowledge paternity. That means the father has no rights to the child what so ever, legally he is not the father.

In my experience if the man and woman are not living together at the time of the birth and have no plans to live like husband and wife with no future plans to get married the man will not acknowledge paternity. I do know of couples who are not married and have 2 or 3 kids together and live as a family because they cannot afford to get married, the custom in some parts of the Philippines is to be married only in the Catholic church, and to invite family and friends to the wedding and reception. They will wait to get married when they can afford this, in these cases the father will always acknowledge paternity on the record of birth.

Well we can't cut the baby in half, so the mother of the child is the best person to decide what is best for the child. Philippine law gives her this right. Based on the information provided by the OP, and having experience with similar situations like this, I agree with the OP that the father of the child sees this as a way to get some money in his pocket.

To the OP check the birth certificate of the child and let us know, if her last name is the same as her mother then the father has no rights to the child, not even visitation, and it would be illegal for him to be in company of the child without written permission from the mother.

You seriously need to do better research.

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According to Atty. Christine Florido of Philippine Legal Counseling:

My sister-in-law supports herself, her son, Mama, Papa, and Lola on less in the province. People learn to make due with what they have and work hard to stretch those resources to their limits.

This attitude of living in the US as being superior to living in the Philippines is beyond racist. It is untrue. The lifestyles between the two are different but one is not superior to the other. There is just as much, if not more, opportunity for the young woman to succeed if her kano boyfriend moved to the Philippines. There are plenty of people that live in the Philippines as well as, or even better than, many middle-class and affluent families do in the US. A foreign woman in the US has to deal with language barriers, racism, and our rather anti-immigrant society; All of which makes it more difficult for her to succeed outside the home until she acclimates or moves to a community that is atypical of normal American culture.

I don't believe I have ever met a woman that didn't claim an ex was anything but a deadbeat, especially when she's talking about him to her new beau. How about you actually do some legwork and hire a local private investigator (a common job here for expats by the way) to find out the truth behind the father's status and financial situation.

How likely is it that this woman doesn't have friends and family that are going to gossip about her kano boyfriend and her future move? I wonder just how the posters on this board would feel if the advice they give just ends up getting this poor woman beaten or killed. Women are murdered here in Manila for far less and the people responsible get away scott-free. A unmarried mother has about the lowest social status of anyone in the Philippines. I've witnessed homeless men treated with better respect. No one is going to come to her aid if something goes wrong without a lot of money being used to buy the influence required. Is the OP ready to start paying for legal bills to get the courts and local officials involved?

In the end, what matters is that, yes, the women can legally move the child outside of the Philippines with the help of the US government providing a visa. The woman has to accept though that she does so at a risk to herself and her child if she ever returns to the Philippines and opens her family up to reprisals, all depending on the resources, tenacity, and spite the father holds over the mother. The OP has to consider all of the legal, financial, and moral implications involved in severing a father from his daughter regardless of legitimacy. I honestly question the veracity of the responses given in this thread if the situations were reversed and a woman wanted to take her daughter from the US and separate a father from his flesh and blood. I find the awful pro-American/anti-Philippine bent on this forum rather disgusting at times.

I lived in the Philippines for about 4 years I know a little bit . The civil court system is for those who can afford it, most cannot. This father clearly cannot afford to go to court and prove he is the father of the child to get visitation rights, and the woman cannot afford to file suit for support. So that is how the system works for poor people. They agree on visitation and support or they do not.

The way I look at things is, if a father wants to be a part of his kids born out of wedlock life then be the father needs to help support those kids, if he is not willing to do that then he is not much of a father, the mother would be correct in keeping her kids away from a low life like that.

My wife has a 4 year college degree and was a elementary school teacher in the PH making $4800.00 a year, in the US she is going to school to get her teaching certificate here, she has a job as a pre-school kindergarten teacher and she now makes about $20k a year. Talk to her about opportunity in the Philippines.

Having complete custody and denying the father his constitutional rights to visitation are two separate things. Yes, the mother can take the child from the Philippines with the assistance of the US government. However what she is doing is sacrificing any life she or her children ( prior to their 18th birthday) may have if they return to the Philippines. It's not uncommon at all for a well respected married man (the father in the OP) to have far more influence in the local community than the mother of an illegitimate child. That translates into hardship for the mother's family if the father wants to rock the boat (which it likely what would happen in this case).

Heaven forbid the father or one of his family members is a Barangay Captain or local official, even worse if they are a member of the local police or militia. I read news reports in the paper here in Manila daily of domestic troubles over visitation and custody that have led to violence and other civil troubles. We are so used to living in the US where your neighbors and their opinions of you don't mean squat and how your reputation is rarely tied to that of your extended family. Here in the Philippines, being blacklisted or harassed by your neighbors because of someone related to you can mean not having a job, being able to eat the next day, or losing access to education. Does the OP's fiance really want to risk the possibility of consequences for her family?

Any American male that takes up with a woman that is so willing to sever a close familial bond had best know he's taking up with a woman that would no doubt do the same thing to him given the opportunity.

You sure do come up with some wild assumptions based on very little information!

The OP is planning to file a K2 visa for his fiancee daughter, the biological father does not want the child to go to the US with her mother. The OP asks.... "What's our recourse?"

The correct answer is: Your fiancee does not need the biological father permission to file a K2 visa, or his consent for the mother to take the child out of the Philippines. Do what your doing, try to convince him that his daughters place is with her mother, and the both of them would have a better chance for a good life in the US.

The OP said "They take turns taking care of the baby." He did not say the father is helping to support the child, or the father is providing money for food, shelter, clothing, medical attendance, education and transportation in keeping with the financial capacity of the family. He probably keeps the baby while the mother works and he sits at home all day and drinks tanduay all day! Yeah I can make some wild assumptions also.

This is the way the fathers constitutional rights to visitation works. It's up the the mother and father of the child to come to a agreement on what visitation will be, and with that comes the duty of the father to provide support for the child. "No support then no visitation". If they cannot come to a written agreement on visitation and support then the father would need to ask the court to decide. The court will allow visitation unless the father if found to be unfit, but they will also order support for the child. I applaud the OP's fiancee for allowing the father to have contact with his daughter, most unwed mothers don't allow this, they end all contact with the former boyfriend.

I know several single moms in the Philippines, my wife's older sister is one. Believe me it's not easy. Try supporting yourself and a baby on 10,000 PHP a month. To shame a mother for wanting a better life for herself and her baby is shameful. I'm proud of the OP that he is willing to accept his fiancee as being a single mom, and be willing to provide her and the daughter with a family style life, and give them both more opportunity than they would have in a poor country.

Some of you either think that the OP fiancee should leave the daughter in the Philippines, or that the OP should look for another woman that does not have kids, that I find remarkable!

As for anyone being blacklisted most times it is the man who has to leave the area for his own safety, if he does not step up to the plate and give his support, and do the right thing. Having a baby out of wedlock sometimes screws up both peoples lives, but with strong family support things seem to work out in the end. What is important is the mother and child they have the hardest row to hoe, the man.....well he will probably get another girl pregnant, and maybe even get married one day. Maybe he will learn some day if he wants kids then get married and have some.....

Good morning to all!

This is my first time to send balikbayan box to the philippines. I'm planning to include a laptop and a tablet inside the box with those other goodies I'm sending to my parents and siblings.

Wondering if anybody tried it already and if your family recieved it?

Let me add this, over the years I've sent many at least 40 Balikbayan boxes from USA to the PH. All the boxes arrived in pretty good shape, and never lost any contents, never had any custom problems. Most boxes were just canned food and clothes. I have sent laptops, cell phones, and some banned things like medicine. I use a contractors trash bag as a liner, then tape up the outside of the box with duct tape, just about use a whole roll to make the box stronger. You must list what is in the box with the shipper, declare the value, your allowed up to $500.00 total value. So to ship like a laptop you must lie on value and declare no electronics.

If you pack it safe, and tape up the box to keep it from getting torn open, then I think you have a real good chance of getting it delivered ok. Don't just put things in the box and tape it a little, they load a container full of these boxes, the ones close to the bottom supports all the weight of the boxes above them and can burst open.

To answer your question, Yes! I have shipped a few laptops and cell phones in balikbayan boxes, and I did know that these are taxable items and I could lose them or be charged with duty fees. This is what you need to understand, that your taking a chance.

Good morning to all!

This is my first time to send balikbayan box to the philippines. I'm planning to include a laptop and a tablet inside the box with those other goodies I'm sending to my parents and siblings.

Wondering if anybody tried it already and if your family recieved it?

It is not legal to ship electronics in a balikbayan box, doing so can cause problems if detected during customs inspections. You take a big risk doing so, they may get it and they may not. Better to send money and let them buy in the Philippines.

WHAT ARE ALLOWED IN “BALIKBAYAN BOXES”?

Non-commercial goods or goods not in commercial quantity strictly for personal use only, such as: wearing apparel, clothing, foodstuffs/grocery items/canned goods; the value of which must not exceed US$500.00

We are not lawyers here, we offer an opinion based on what we think we know. My opinion based on many others that had a similar situation of a fiancee with a child born out of wedlock making that child illegitimate the law in the Philippines is very clear. "An illegitimate child is under the sole parental authority of the mother. In the exercise of that authority, she is entitled to keep the child in her company. The Court will not deprive her of custody, absent any imperative cause showing her unfitness to exercise such authority and care."

This is not a unique situation, many women in the Philippines are single moms with kids born out of wedlock, every day at the USEM K1 and K2 visas are issued to women with illegitimate kids. The OP does not need to worry about getting consent from the father. The father cannot stop you from moving his illegitimate child out of the Philippines.

Could the father file court actions to stop the mother moving the child out of the Philippines? Yes i guess so if he had the money, but the rights of the father to his illegitimate child is limited to visitorial rights only, the changes of the father getting a "Hold Departure Order", or "Joint Custody" would be zero.

File your K2 visa application just like many others do, and don't worry about what is right or wrong. The only one that needs to make sure that they are doing with is best for the child is the child mother.

My fiancee have a 2 yr old daughter from previous relationship (she was never married). The biological father's name is on the NSO birth cert. and even says not married. They take turns taking care of the baby. He is aware of me & my fiancee's plan in including the baby as part of the K1/K2 application. But the father is determined not to give up the baby to accompany my fiancee. She's trying to be civil with him in the hopes of convincing him it is for the good of the baby in the future. What's our recourse? Any help is welcome. Thanks

Need to check with a lawyer but most times the right over the custody of illegitimate children is vested to the mother. The mother may transfer the child’s residence to another country, if she desires this.

Art. 176. Illegitimate children shall use the surname and shall be under the parental authority of their mother, and shall be entitled to support in conformity with this Code. However, illegitimate children may use surname of their father if their filiation has been expressly recognized by the father through the record of birth appearing in the civil register, or when an admission in a public document or private handwritten instrument is made by the father. Provided, the father has the right to institute an action before the regular courts to prove non-filiation during his lifetime. The legitime of each illegitimate child shall consist of one-half of the legitime of a legitimate child.(As amended by Republic Act 9255, approved February 24,2004.)

Thanks for the info.

So when does the Philippine passport put into use? Is it just a "ticket" so a dual citizen (Filipino-American) can stay in the Philippines for a long time without paying any fee or visa?

Yeah you can stay forever if dual citizen. US citizens who are former Filipino citizens get Balikbayan visa anyway that is good for a year. So about the only reason to be a dual citizen,if your moving there to live, or if you want to buy real property, or work there. You can enter the country on a US passport, or Filipino passport don't make any difference, just need to show that you are a Filipino citizen went you enter, and stay as long as you want too! No visa needed.

Hi VJ's...just want to ask anybody who traveled to back in the Philippines the following question:

1. If a baby is only few months old are we required to purchase them a plane ticket too and pay a certain amount.

2. If the baby is bor here in the US, and if his birth is also reported to the Philippine Embassy close to where we are at, will he baby be able to come back and forth the Philippines just like a regular Philippine Citizen?

3. I am just confused also, if we report the baby's birth to the Philippine embassy, do they get like dual citizenship (US & Philippines)?

Thanks everyone!

Baby will need a US passport, check with the airline to see if baby needs to buy a ticket, while domestic flights may not require a ticket flights to another country require a ticket. Some airline offer discounted tickets if baby will be in your lap and not require a seat.