Use local marriage license OK or NSO version? (Philippines)

[Mactan4 0]

I got married in the Philippines and we were issued a marriage license by the local civil registrar. My wife has been waiting for the official NSO issue of our marriage license since October 05 and it has not yet come (despite going back back there many times). I want to begin filing the K3 and send in the I130.

Question: Do I need to wait for the NSO marriage license or can I send in the locally issued license? My wife thinks I should wait for the NSO license since she cannot get a passport (etc) with the local license. Thanks!

[jazzy 0]

I got married in the Philippines and we were issued a marriage license by the local civil registrar. My wife has been waiting for the official NSO issue of our marriage license since October 05 and it has not yet come (despite going back back there many times). I want to begin filing the K3 and send in the I130.

Question: Do I need to wait for the NSO marriage license or can I send in the locally issued license? My wife thinks I should wait for the NSO license since she cannot get a passport (etc) with the local license. Thanks!

Hi mactan,

You do NOT have to wait for the nso mc. The copy from the civil regitry is fine to use for both the I-130 and the I-129f. You will want to have the NSO MC later for your interview and for the original doc's required with ds-230 later in your cr-1 process. And tell your wife not to hold her breath waiting for the nso...they are taking a while right now (backlogged)...we are still waiting for that also.

Jazzy

[charie 0]

I got married in the Philippines and we were issued a marriage license by the local civil registrar. My wife has been waiting for the official NSO issue of our marriage license since October 05 and it has not yet come (despite going back back there many times). I want to begin filing the K3 and send in the I130.

Question: Do I need to wait for the NSO marriage license or can I send in the locally issued license? My wife thinks I should wait for the NSO license since she cannot get a passport (etc) with the local license. Thanks!

No, dont wait for it, it will take months...you only need to submit a copy of the marriage license they dont emphasize that you need to give them the authenticated copy from the NSO...

Good Luck!

Edited August 17, 2006 by charie

[JoelAndAnalyn 0]

I got married in the Philippines and we were issued a marriage license by the local civil registrar. My wife has been waiting for the official NSO issue of our marriage license since October 05 and it has not yet come (despite going back back there many times). I want to begin filing the K3 and send in the I130.

Question: Do I need to wait for the NSO marriage license or can I send in the locally issued license? My wife thinks I should wait for the NSO license since she cannot get a passport (etc) with the local license. Thanks!

No, dont wait for it, it will take months...you only need to submit a copy of the marriage license they dont emphasize that you need to give them the authenticated copy from the NSO...

Good Luck!

We had a heck of a time getting ours from Manila directly. Finally my wife just got it from her local NSO same day. It seemed like before you had to get it directly from Manila but either that was incorrect or it's changed and you can get it from your local office.

Also you can order copies online.

[jazzy 0]

We had a heck of a time getting ours from Manila directly. Finally my wife just got it from her local NSO same day. It seemed like before you had to get it directly from Manila but either that was incorrect or it's changed and you can get it from your local office.

Also you can order copies online.

Hi,

Manila is taking forever, however.the only place you can get the security paper copy is through manila...you can't get that through the local offices..they process the papers through manila. Which local office did you use? You can only get the security paper copy through manila. Where online can get order copies? We thought you could only order BC's online?

Jazzy

[Michael and Milahjean 0]

I was married in Phils on April 24. I also used certified copies from the LCRO for both the I-130 and the I-129F with no problems that I am aware of. I have no approval yet though.

My wife finally received the NSO MC copies (she requested 5 copies) through the LCRO office last week. She has a very good friend at the municipality office who has been very helpful to her. (Practically everyone in her baranguay is related.) The first version of the NSO certificate had my name misspelled. She is sending a copy to me now. She also has received her CENOMAR. I guess the LCRO needed that when we applied for the license, but....

I also ordered MC copies online thru E-census last May and that has been a nightmare. I paid the $20 each online for 3 copies and a month later I received THREE official certificates that said they were unable to locate any record of our marriage. I have been emailing since then and have been promised that I will someday receive the copies that I have ordered. I'm still waiting.

For added interest here, she has no passport and has not attended the CFO seminar yet. She has told me that a traveling passport application team will be visiting her municipality in September. This must be common practice in the provinces. Through the help of her "official" LCRO friend, she will be applying for her passport then. She says she will receive her passport on the same day. She's going to try applying without the CFO certificate. I've told her that the "official" requirements say that the CFO certificate is needed. We'll see what she is able to do. If she's turned away, she'll need to get the CFO certificate. She finishing her last year college now, so is not easy breaking away to go to Manila for the seminar.