Question about religious ceremony in the Phils.

[srogue 0]

Hello all,

My fiance and I have been planning a wedding for the past few months and are now about two months away from when it was going to happen. We have filed a k-1 fiance visa application one month ago, and we were planning on having a religious ceremony only so we could still meet the requirements of the K-1 visa.

However lastnight, a friend of my fiance told her that in the Phils. you cannot have just a religious ceremony, that you have to already have a marriage license to have a religious ceremony. Is this true? Is it the law in the Phils. that you can't have a religious ceremony only?

We have already made so many plans for this, because I know here in the US you can do whatever you want in regards to having a ceremony and then filing the paperwork later right? So I guess maybe we should have dug a little deeper before making all the plans we have already.

At this stage, if its impossible to have just a religious ceremony and not be civilly married, what is our best option? We still want to get married/have a ceremony in two months, no matter what, but what would I do about the k-1 visa that I already submitted? What is our best options going forward now? Just get a license and can I resubmit as a k-3?

Thanks much!

[CuriousGuy 0]

I'm also considering having a "committment ceremony" there for the benefit of her family, friends, and her church. Her father is the Pastor, so I am SURE he can make it perfectly clear that this is just to recognize our pledge to one another, and NOT a lawful marriage in the Phil..which could really screw-up a K-1 petition. It was my understanding that as long as documents are not applied for, nor obtained, that this would be okay to do.

SO, if anyone thinks there's some conern with doing this, I would also like your input. Thanks.

[edp333 9]

Hello all,

My fiance and I have been planning a wedding for the past few months and are now about two months away from when it was going to happen. We have filed a k-1 fiance visa application one month ago, and we were planning on having a religious ceremony only so we could still meet the requirements of the K-1 visa.

However lastnight, a friend of my fiance told her that in the Phils. you cannot have just a religious ceremony, that you have to already have a marriage license to have a religious ceremony. Is this true? Is it the law in the Phils. that you can't have a religious ceremony only?

We have already made so many plans for this, because I know here in the US you can do whatever you want in regards to having a ceremony and then filing the paperwork later right? So I guess maybe we should have dug a little deeper before making all the plans we have already.

At this stage, if its impossible to have just a religious ceremony and not be civilly married, what is our best option? We still want to get married/have a ceremony in two months, no matter what, but what would I do about the k-1 visa that I already submitted? What is our best options going forward now? Just get a license and can I resubmit as a k-3?

Thanks much!

You can have a Marriage Dedication as long as you can find a Pastor to perform it. My wife and I did this and then had a contractual marriage 3.5 months later. You must complete the proper paperwork to be legally married in the Phils. If your a planning a Catholic Wedding, then you will be required to submit the contractual paperwork to be legally wed. This is a Catholic law (requirement). In this case, you would have to stop your K1 visa and start a new K3/CR1 visa.

Remember, not to show any of the Dedication pictures to the immigration interviewer on a K1 interview. Many have been denied a visa by showing dedication pictures.

Edited December 1, 2008 by edp333

[kaye 0]

i am also in the process of my k1 approval actually waiting for my noa2. I know both petitioner and beneficiary should be free to marry to be able to get the k1 visa. my family wanted us first to get a church ceremony in the philippines but i told them this is not possible coz k3 process is longer plus i wanted a big church wedding if ever i am having one and is currently still saving for one. Upon my entry to the USA i will have a civil ceremony there and then file for whatever is needed and on oct. 2010 i will fly back to manila to do my dream church wedding.

i also know somebody who had a civil wedding in the philippines then filed for k3 then had to wait a year to get the visa then before she left for the USA she had a big church wedding here in the philippines.

i wanted the fastest way to be together and everybody told me k1 is the answer.

[chris-lei 1]

I haven't heard of a religious wedding in the Philippines that is not registered in NSO (National Statistics Office). I'm Catholic by the way, so I don't know whether other Christian denominations do such things as marriage dedication, equal to a religious ceremony not being registered in the NSO.

If you really wanna do the religious ceremony, just be very very very careful not to show any pictures of you and your fiancee during the USEM interview. That will warrant you a denial right away on the basis of wrong visa applied. They will equate that with "marriage," registered or not. And make very sure that your marriage is not registered at NSO.

K1 visa is the faster way to get your fiancee here, but you will deny her of a church wedding that we, ladies dream of. But you can do a church wedding here! Minus her parents .

K3 visa will give her the wedding of her dreams right away (not years after) and you will also satisfy her parents, but will take 3-6 months more than K1 does.

I hope you won't screw it up...

[sweet_wifey22 0]

Yes You can do it! While having the K1 visa.....

I have known a coupe They did the wedding ceremony without the paper work for the wedding.

They just did it here in Philippines for the family of the filipina to witness the wedding and TO HAVE THE BLESSINGS OF THEIR PASTOR!!! They filed the k1 visa. So you can do it!

Good Luck!

[chris-lei 1]

Yes You can do it! While having the K1 visa.....

I have known a coupe They did the wedding ceremony without the paper work for the wedding.

They just did it here in Philippines for the family of the filipina to witness the wedding and TO HAVE THE BLESSINGS OF THEIR PASTOR!!! They filed the k1 visa. So you can do it!

Good Luck!

If it can be done, just dont show any of your ceremony pictures to the consular officer during the interview. Goodluck!