Married in PI 2013-Divorced in USA 2021- Marry Again?

[payxibka 10,045]

6 minutes ago, Joe Kano said:

Ballpark estimate price to get a passport without a fixer fee?

Standard 30 days delivery wad 950php.  For rush, i think it was 1200php

[Hank_ 9,174]

On 5/26/2021 at 5:32 PM, David & Zoila said:

Okay, so here I am again.  I married a Filipina in Cebu in 2013.  She divorced me this year here in the USA January 2021. (She is already a US citizen.)  I have found a new love in the Philippines and want to know what I need to marry her in the Philippines. (She has already gotten her cenomar, etc...) Do I need a document from the US Embassy in Manila saying I am free to marry?  My divorce was finalized and I have the divorce decree in hand.  (I would bring my new love here on a fiance visa but she must be married before I even spend the night with her alone. This is her family's rules and I respect that.)  I have been told by some that I may need to get a marriage annulment in the Philippines but that just doesn't make sense to me. We were legally divorced in the USA.  Please help.

 

Mahalo,  David O

Philippines does have recognition of divorce.  I find mixed info about foreigners and the recognition of divorce.  For a time foreigners only needed to present a copy of the divorce decree to apply for a marriage license.  In the last couple years there have been a fair amount of confusion.  Philippine citizens that were divorced from a foreigner need to complete the recognition of  divorce through the RTC (NOT an annulment - ).   As for foreigners, that were the confusion still is high, I would suggest finding a knowledgeable attorney to get actual (factual) answers regarding the process for a foreigner to get a divorce recognized.   I can't find must of anything on any official government websites regarding foreigners and recognition of divorce.

 

Philippines is one of the most confusing places on the planet regarding who/how regarding recognition of divorce.   

 

There was a time when all that was needed was to present the foreign divorce to DFA for authentication (red ribbon) then take it to PSA to have the marriage certificate annotated.   Then one day they suddenly decided that was too simple .. and not require the RTC to provide the authentication for recognition ....   Welcome to the Philippines.

 

 

[Hank_ 9,174]

21 hours ago, David & Zoila said:

Okay, so Hong Kong looks like a good place to get married...but in doing my research I find this:

WE’RE MARRIED. THAT’S IT. WHY MUST WE REPORT OUR MARRIAGE TO THE PHILIPPINE CONSULATE?

If this has ever crossed your mind at once, please try to think of this: UNREPORTED MARRIAGES OUTSIDE THE PHILIPPINES WILL NOT BE RECOGNIZED. Unless you both just want to do it like they do in Las Vegas, that “just for fun and you can change your mind tomorrow” thing, then you might as well do so as you pleased.

According to the Office of the Solicitor General of the Philippines:

“A marriage where one or both of the contracting parties is a Filipino citizen must be reported to the Consulate in order for the said marriage to be properly registered and recorded with the Office of the Civil Registrar General in Manila.”

Why report your marriage? It is as simple as:

NO ROM = NO MARRIED STATUS + NO PSA COPY OF ROM & CEMAR + NO VISA APPLICATION

So if we marry in Hong Kong, the Philippines still requires the marriage to be reported to them. If we are doing a CR-1 visa how will this affect us?  Do we really report it to them?(Remember, I cant get married in the Philippines again) I know it is the US that is processing our CR-1 but will there be any problems with her doing the CFO class if her marriage is not registered in the Philippines? Are we actually "required" to register the marriage in Philippines because if we are will they not see that I cannot be married again according to Philippines law. CFO?

 

Oh the tangled web we weave for love.  Okay, I admit it.  I am a hopeless romantic.

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated,      Mahalo from Maui, David O

Yes this can totally work .. IF ... your fiancee is good with "cutting ties" with the Philippines.   Philippines "requires ROM" is a "sort of" thing; your marriage is legal and official, except not recognized in the Philippines without filing ROM.   You are already married in the Philippines to your EX according to the Philippine government, until you complete the recognition of divorce.   

 

What are the down sides of not completing ROM with your new wife?  She can not get her Philippine passport in her married name, she would have to keep her Philippine passport in her single name.  In the Philippines (only) she is not legally married to you .. and you are a bigamist.   

 

But .. NO you are not required to complete ROM.  Your new wife can keep her Philippine passport in her single name, then when ready she can get her U.S. passport in her married name.  And not bother completing dual citizenship.

 

As a former Filipino she can still own land (just not as much), she can still enter the Philippines for extended time using the BB privilege (simple carry a copy of her BC).

 

As far as the U.S. government is concerned all is good; your divorce is valid, your marriage in Hong Kong is valid so your I-130 petition for an IR/CR-1 is good.

[David & Diana R 1,005]

Hank, 

 

Thanks very much.  I appreciate all your answers and information.  You have always been a positive and helpful member and I appreciate that. Now I just have to find a country that will let her fly into...and of course would have to make sure she and I can go back to PI after we marry.  I will be going to the Philippines to meet her family and earn their trust before she will be "allowed" to fly away with me to marry.  She has never flown on an airplane so unfortunately she would not travel anywhere on an airplane, let alone to another country so I will have to meet her family and jet off to an unknown destination to marry.

 

Yes, my last Filipina did not opt for dual citizenship.  When she was sworn in as a US citizen she felt that she renounced any other government, including the Philippines and it made no sense for her to get the PI citizenship.  Sounds like the American way of thinking. 

 

Mahalo from Maui,  David O

[David & Diana R 1,005]

9 hours ago, Hank_ said:

Philippines does have recognition of divorce.  I find mixed info about foreigners and the recognition of divorce.  For a time foreigners only needed to present a copy of the divorce decree to apply for a marriage license.  In the last couple years there have been a fair amount of confusion.  Philippine citizens that were divorced from a foreigner need to complete the recognition of  divorce through the RTC (NOT an annulment - ).   As for foreigners, that were the confusion still is high, I would suggest finding a knowledgeable attorney to get actual (factual) answers regarding the process for a foreigner to get a divorce recognized.   I can't find must of anything on any official government websites regarding foreigners and recognition of divorce.

 

Philippines is one of the most confusing places on the planet regarding who/how regarding recognition of divorce.   

 

There was a time when all that was needed was to present the foreign divorce to DFA for authentication (red ribbon) then take it to PSA to have the marriage certificate annotated.   Then one day they suddenly decided that was too simple .. and not require the RTC to provide the authentication for recognition ....   Welcome to the Philippines.

 

 

Thanks man

 

[Just Paul 4,595]

On 5/28/2021 at 11:34 PM, Chancy said:

 

With regard to the CR1 process, the US consul officer may ask to see the ROM paperwork.  If I recall correctly, @Paul & Mary were married in Hong Kong and were asked for their ROM during the visa interview.  Even so, it's not likely to be a deal-breaker for CR1 since you can present your US divorce decree.  I know of one VJ member who did not do ROM, yet his wife was recently granted a spouse visa.

We were married in Hong Kong and did the ROM there but had to wait for the recorded copy from Manilla.  We did s DCF so we were way off the normal path.    When I made the trip to Ciudad Juarez the USCIS specifically looked for the ROM along with my divorce papers.   Mary doesn't recall it coming up at the interview. 

 

If you have any questions about Hong Kong marriages I am happy to answer. It was super easy for us.

[Prisonmate 93]

On 5/26/2021 at 10:19 PM, seekingthetruth said:

So sorry if I did not know your story.  You just said "she divorced me" earlier.

 

However, that does not change the fact that it is a bad idea to speak of marriage before you have physically met someone.  I don't think you will find many people who think that is a good idea.  

Agreed.  Marrying someone you never met has a 99% chance of failure or 100% unhappiness for both parties.

[Joe Kano 327]

15 hours ago, Prisonmate said:

Agreed.  Marrying someone you never met has a 99% chance of failure or 100% unhappiness for both parties.

There are many guys I see on Youtube comments while watching some Youtuber. They profess their love for the fiance and they have never meet them in person. I just laugh to myself.  I will sometime call them out and tell them they are only chatmates until they spend some one on one time together, they don't want to hear that.

[AllaR 13]

Let me tell you about my experience getting married in Costa Rica. It was a nightmare. The rules in this country are that you need to find a lawyer/notary to get married. I tried to find one using Google. All of them were overpriced (like $250 minimum) and asked for extensive paperwork such as certified birth certificates and divorce papers. I was born and divorced in Russia and no way I could get the papers. Luckily, my husband who is not a citizen of CR but lived there, found a local guy who agreed to marry us with limited paperwork. My husband showed only the paper from his country that he was single and I showed only my US passport. However, to get certified marriage certificate took 8 weeks and I flew home only with a paper copy which took 6 weeks as well. Again, luckily I was able to file I -130 with this paper but for interview my husband went to a local government for a certified paper. Not a joke.

[AllaR 13]

You can ask questions as well.

[Prisonmate 93]

On 5/29/2021 at 9:44 AM, Hank_ said:

Philippines does have recognition of divorce.  I find mixed info about foreigners and the recognition of divorce.  For a time foreigners only needed to present a copy of the divorce decree to apply for a marriage license.  In the last couple years there have been a fair amount of confusion.  Philippine citizens that were divorced from a foreigner need to complete the recognition of  divorce through the RTC (NOT an annulment - ).   As for foreigners, that were the confusion still is high, I would suggest finding a knowledgeable attorney to get actual (factual) answers regarding the process for a foreigner to get a divorce recognized.   I can't find must of anything on any official government websites regarding foreigners and recognition of divorce.

 

Philippines is one of the most confusing places on the planet regarding who/how regarding recognition of divorce.   

 

There was a time when all that was needed was to present the foreign divorce to DFA for authentication (red ribbon) then take it to PSA to have the marriage certificate annotated.   Then one day they suddenly decided that was too simple .. and not require the RTC to provide the authentication for recognition ....   Welcome to the Philippines.

 

 

In the Philippines, they set their policies to make money. From my view and experience there, they are still suffering from their Spanish Colonial times. Nothing is easy or common sense there, at least in the way us Western people thinks. The more rules they have, they more money "fixers" can make to help you. But I digress.

 

 

[top_secret 2,421]

8 hours ago, AllaR said:

Let me tell you about my experience getting married in Costa Rica. It was a nightmare.

We got married in Costa Rica in December and it could not have possibly been any easier.  We paid around $550 for the lawyer/notary to handle everything from start to delivery of certified and apostilled marriage certificate.  The ONLY documents required were scans of our passports e-mailed in advance.   Literally, that was the only documents required. Self-affidavits of singleness and whatever other documentary requirements were rolled into the lawyers fee.   We really didn't have to do a single thing except pay money and appear for the ceremony and sign stuff.  The I-130 petition from that Costa Rica marriage is already approved in record time, so it has USCIS's stamp of approval.  One interesting feature of Costa Rica Marriage Certificates is that they can be instantly authenticated by anyone on the Governments official Civil Registry website which must make highly reliable authentication of marriages very easy for USCIS. 

[AllaR 13]

I guess, $550 was outside of our budget. We paid only $90 to a local notary in CR and I would never pay any penny more. Waiting 6 weeks was not a problem since we had a house there but for people flying back and forth for 3 days it is a lot of risk to wait for the paper mailed to your house.

[Prisonmate 93]

If you marry her outside the Philippines, prepared to pay for her parents and family airfare and hotel and other travel expenses. Most young filipina getting marry for the first time, wants her family to be there when she gets marry.  Oh by the way, if she and her family don't have a passport, prepare to pay for those other travel documents.

[Just Paul 4,595]

If you want to know what someone id really like try spend at least a week without internet with them.   We did that in Nepal