What documents do I need to bring with me to the PH for marriage?

[AmericanNomad 16]

Hello, have a few questions.

 

1. What documents do I need to bring with me to the PH in order to get married to my girlfriend there?
2. After we get married, how do I go about staying there permanently so I don't have to leave?
3. Is there a throw away/onward ticket I can use if I buy a one way flight to the PH? I was looking at onwardticket.com.
4. Anything else I should take note of for having a successful trip to the Philippines? I know I need to be vaccinated, and I need covid insurance. What covid insurance can you recommend?

[Steve2022 41]

On 2/15/2022 at 9:12 PM, AmericanNomad said:

Hello, have a few questions.

 

1. What documents do I need to bring with me to the PH in order to get married to my girlfriend there?
2. After we get married, how do I go about staying there permanently so I don't have to leave?
3. Is there a throw away/onward ticket I can use if I buy a one way flight to the PH? I was looking at onwardticket.com.
4. Anything else I should take note of for having a successful trip to the Philippines? I know I need to be vaccinated, and I need covid insurance. What covid insurance can you recommend?

Off the top of my head:

passport and old passport (for you)

original birth certificate (yours and your wife)

any divorce/court records

CENOMAR for both you and your wife from the Philippine PSA (formerly NSO)

Affidavit of No Marriage from the US Consulate in either Manila or Cebu.  There is a new way to do this from any notary, but maybe the Consulates have opened back up for it, I don't know.

I don't think you need much else to get married, it is pretty easy.

 

Financial records:  You need to take lots (maybe last 6 months) of bank records and last 3 years of tax records.  Tax returns, W-2s, 1099s, paycheck stubs, and tax TRANSCRIPTs.  You'll need this if you intend to get a Philippine bank account eventually apply for a visa for your wife.  Recommend BPI as they have better ATMs (20k withdraw) and are still a big bank.  Some banks might ask for an ACR card (maybe) to get a bank account.  You can get an ACR card after being in the Phils 6 months as a tourist.  Be sure to file your taxes this year ELECTRONICALLY.  This is so you can get your tax TRANSCRIPT in 21 days instead of 6+ months.  You can do that on fileyourtaxes dot com.  You put "NRA" in the box where your wife's SSN/ITIN should go.  Turbotax won't do it electronically.  You'll be required to file as "married filing separately" which will lose you the tax advantages of filing single and also lose the tax advantages being married.  If you do intend to actually stay long term in the Phils, then maybe look into getting your wife an ITIN so that you can file your taxes jointly and pick up your normal tax breaks again.   They may deny you getting an ITIN, I've heard of that happening a lot, and that would stick you in a tax situation of never being able to deduct your medical insurance premiums and student loan interest and other stuff.  Keep a US bank account (Many Expats prefer Schwab) and keep a US address.

 

You can just buy a cheap onward ticket to Singapore from Cebu Pacific or Asiana, but I've heard those onward ticket sites do work or even just a printout of a flight reservation that you haven't actually purchased will work.  Alternatively, you can just get a round trip on PAL and then after you land, exchange your return ticket for a 12 month travel credit.   I think this works, but check with a PAL agent first.  EVA is another great airline.

 

If you're really going to stay there permanently then you'll apply for a 13A visa if that is what you want to do.  You should look up the requirements of that specifically and carefully because there is much more red tape than the requirements for simply getting married.  There are even more requirements than for getting a bank account.  You should apply for that 13A from the Phils, not from the USA.  Lots of people find it easier to just stay on tourist visa for 3 years and then exit the country for a visa run.  You can get a tourist visa in advance from a Philippine consulate in the USA.  This will save you some trips to the BI in the Phils.   But if you are going to live close to a BI anyway then it is probably easier to just enter under the visa waiver program and go back to the BI as often as they make you.

 

I recommend getting a Google Fi sim card for your phone, as you can use the unlimited international data for up to 6 months, and it has wifi calling. This is not cheaper than Philippine mobile data but it is more convenient, and it is great if you don't have access to good internet in the Phils.  Transfer your old US cell number to Google Voice when the time comes.  Also definitely get a US Skype phone number and pay by the year, it is $39 and this one is, at least in my mind, necessary.  It's the most reliable phone I have, even in the USA, because it rings all my devices (phone and computers and tablets) at once.

 

Hope this helps. 

[LouieDepalma 3]

4 hours ago, Steve2022 said:

 

Affidavit of No Marriage from the US Consulate in either Manila or Cebu.  There is a new way to do this from any notary, but maybe the Consulates have opened back up for it, I don't know.

 

I have some experience with this, but spelling the term it is called is not something I can do well or seem to pronounce or learn that very strange word I have typed below.

 

It is called an apostille seal.  It is now recognized by the Philippines.  Although I advise you to visit the embassy website for your particular state and print out the information directly off of it because my experience has been that many courts, judges, and yes attorneys do not know this information and still want the "Red Ribbon" which you don't need anymore.

 

Basically you get a document notarized by any notary in the US.  Any LEGIT Notary that is. Then you send that document to the secretary of state the same state where it was notarized and more importantly the same state that the notary who did the notarizing is um perhaps maybe licensed is the correct term or registered.

 

The Secretary of State will then verify that the notary who notarized the document is in fact legit and listed in their book of notaries.  Afterwards they will affix a letter with an emblem that makes your document all legit and recognized by the Philippines.  There will be a small fee for this like 5$ 10$ and so forth along with a paper to print out instructing what you want done.  Example I want an apostille seal.(that word again)  Most if not all of this will be on the secretary of state's website you visit. You will need to provide a way to return the document to you like a postage paid envelope.

 

The only catch is simple in that you cannot remove the letter they affix to the front of the document nor can you remove the staple that attaches said letter to the front of your notarized document.  Doing either will void the entire thing.  But making sure whatever Filipino touches said document does not do either will be your only real challenge.

 

MUCH easier than trying to visit the embassy, and you only need to leave your home once to get the document notarized in the first place or you can maybe do it online someway if so inclined although that would probably cross state lines and make the process much harder trying to find which state to send it in to.  If in a rush you can visit the secretary of state in person with said notarized document and it will be all fixed and taken care of on the spot.

 

 

 

[RO_AH 1,662]

On 2/15/2022 at 5:12 PM, AmericanNomad said:

Hello, have a few questions.

1. What documents do I need to bring with me to the PH in order to get married to my girlfriend there?
2. After we get married, how do I go about staying there permanently so I don't have to leave?
3. Is there a throw away/onward ticket I can use if I buy a one way flight to the PH? I was looking at onwardticket.com.
4. Anything else I should take note of for having a successful trip to the Philippines? I know I need to be vaccinated, and I need covid insurance. What covid insurance can you recommend?

Bottom line is if you want to get married there make sure that your gf/fiancé goes to her LCR and finds out directly from them what is required. There is no set "Philippines" requirements and every LCU may have differences.

 

To stay there permentantly there are a few options. Once you get married fly to some close by country together and then get a BB stamp when you re-enter.. The bad part about going that route is you will have to do that every year since the BB stamp is only good for 1 year. There is also a spouse visa. I don't know a lot about it but you should look into it. The last choice is SRRV which costs some money but it is also an option.

[LouieDepalma 3]

To stay there permamently and have the most benefits the srrv is your best choice.  I stayed there awhile and hope to return just not now.

 

Srrv is what banks want to see and ALL they want to see.  Sure you can open an account with a simple tourist visa and card.  But if you want a solid relationship with credit loans investing and strong VERY strong banker ties they want that permanent resident status srrv. 

 

If you want to go a step higher and enter the golden gates of that country then you will need citizenship.  Having us and philippine citizenship would open all doors to you.  Property owenership being the tip of the iceburg.

 

Of course a simple tourist visa is all that you really need to stay at least precovid.  I have no clue anymore if that still stands true.

Edited February 23, 2022 by LouieDepalma
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[AmericanNomad 16]

Thanks for the help everyone. That will do it.