My fiancee and I are planning on marrying in the Philippines next month. We have booked and paid for everything, and I have some guests coming from overseas. I am a Canadian and she is a Filipina. I am currently living here and have been here since the end of June. I went to the Manila embassy to get a Statutory Declaration saying that i can get married in the Philippines. Here is what the embassy website says, stating the form that I now have.
"Marriage of Canadians in the Philippines
Any foreign national who wishes to marry in the Philippines is required by the Philippine Government to obtain from his/her Embassy or Consulate in the Philippines, a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage before filing an application for a marriage license. This certification affirms that there are no legal impediments to the proposed marriage. Unlike the Philippines, the Government of Canada does not keep a central statistical registry of marriages and cannot verify this information. Instead, the Philippine Government may accept a Statutory Declaration in lieu of the required certificate that is signed before a Consular Officer at the Embassy or Consulate of Canada.
It is the responsibility of the couple requesting the document to verify with the local civil registrar’s office in the city where they intend to submit their marriage license application if they will accept the Statutory Declaration from our office."
Our problem is that the city hall registrar's office where we applied for our marriage license won't accept the statutpry declaration form. What can we do now? We don't have much time left, and we are both panicking. I can go back to Manila to the Canadian embassy or go to Cebu to the consulate if need be, but I would prefer not to do those things. Mostly, we NEED that license.
What should we do? Which city office WILL accept this declaration? Any advice/information or help that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. She will go to try to convince the city hall people that we have the right form and hopefully get the marriage license, but in the event that she does not succeed, what are our other options?
Thanks in advance for your help!
- Worried Canadian
"Marriage of Canadians in the Philippines
Any foreign national who wishes to marry in the Philippines is required by the Philippine Government to obtain from his/her Embassy or Consulate in the Philippines, a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage before filing an application for a marriage license. This certification affirms that there are no legal impediments to the proposed marriage. Unlike the Philippines, the Government of Canada does not keep a central statistical registry of marriages and cannot verify this information. Instead, the Philippine Government may accept a Statutory Declaration in lieu of the required certificate that is signed before a Consular Officer at the Embassy or Consulate of Canada.
It is the responsibility of the couple requesting the document to verify with the local civil registrar’s office in the city where they intend to submit their marriage license application if they will accept the Statutory Declaration from our office."
Our problem is that the city hall registrar's office where we applied for our marriage license won't accept the statutpry declaration form. What can we do now? We don't have much time left, and we are both panicking. I can go back to Manila to the Canadian embassy or go to Cebu to the consulate if need be, but I would prefer not to do those things. Mostly, we NEED that license.
What should we do? Which city office WILL accept this declaration? Any advice/information or help that you can provide would be greatly appreciated. She will go to try to convince the city hall people that we have the right form and hopefully get the marriage license, but in the event that she does not succeed, what are our other options?
Thanks in advance for your help!
- Worried Canadian