Marraige in PH

[Steve & Erma 36]

So I have read through all of these different things you need to do like the 10 day waiting period, planting a tree, counseling, getting a document from the embassy stating I am not married and my fiance getting something similar.

 

My Fiance's sister knows someone that works at one of the city halls in Manila and is telling me that I just need to pick a date and time along with both of our info, pay a fee, and then show up with our ID's to be married by a judge there in Manila. No 10 day waiting period, no tree, no counseling, no other documents... Is this legit? Is there a difference in marrying someone in the city versus the province?

 

We were also looking at doing the Utah online marriage while I was there. Is is better to get married in the Philippines or do the Utah thing? If this marriage with the judge is legit would it just be better to do it there or should I plan on the Utah online marriage. I am headed there in September so I have time. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Verrou 1,961]

utah online marriage is legit. 

legal marriage is legal marriage.

so its really up to you

[RO_AH 1,659]

6 hours ago, Steve & Erma said:

My Fiance's sister knows someone that works at one of the city halls in Manila and is telling me that I just need to pick a date and time along with both of our info, pay a fee, and then show up with our ID's to be married by a judge there in Manila. No 10 day waiting period, no tree, no counseling, no other documents... Is this legit?

It's the Philippines and nothing is consistent in the Philippines. One thing that is pretty consistent (besides false information) is the 10 (working) day period. I only know one person granted a marriage license quicker than that and I have no idea how he did it. You would definitely need a connection to a very high up person in that municipal/city hall. That being said I would not put a lot of faith in what her sister said. If you get married there plan on a 3 week trip just to be safe.

 

As for Utah, why not get married now? Once you arrive there and consummate the marriage you can have a reception that her family and friends can attend. This way you can start preparing for the immigration process sooner. The hold up in filing for a visa is the PSA marriage certificate, or PSA ROM (report of marriage) if you marry elsewhere (Utah). You can start the process of getting the ROM right after you get married with Utah wedding. The PSA marriage certificate can take between 6 weeks and 6 months if you get married there.

[Steve & Erma 36]

4 hours ago, RO_AH said:

It's the Philippines and nothing is consistent in the Philippines. One thing that is pretty consistent (besides false information) is the 10 (working) day period. I only know one person granted a marriage license quicker than that and I have no idea how he did it. You would definitely need a connection to a very high up person in that municipal/city hall. That being said I would not put a lot of faith in what her sister said. If you get married there plan on a 3 week trip just to be safe.

 

As for Utah, why not get married now? Once you arrive there and consummate the marriage you can have a reception that her family and friends can attend. This way you can start preparing for the immigration process sooner. The hold up in filing for a visa is the PSA marriage certificate, or PSA ROM (report of marriage) if you marry elsewhere (Utah). You can start the process of getting the ROM right after you get married with Utah wedding. The PSA marriage certificate can take between 6 weeks and 6 months if you get married there.

For the PSA ROM are you saying it will take 6wks to 6 months if I do the marriage in PH? Does it take that long with Utah? Is this something I need when you first file the CR1?

[RO_AH 1,659]

20 minutes ago, Steve & Erma said:

For the PSA ROM are you saying it will take 6wks to 6 months if I do the marriage in PH? Does it take that long with Utah? Is this something I need when you first file the CR1?

I was a little off on my first post.

If you get married in the Philippines you will need a PSA marriage certificate to file CR-1. This can take 6 weeks to 6 months.

If you do a Utah wedding you can file as soon as you have traveled to Philippines and consummated the marriage. However the CFO (which is the last step for your wife to leave Philippines) may require the ROM which can be applied for right after you get married. In which case you will have the ROM before you may need it at the CFO portion. I am including a very informative post below.

 

 

 

[Steve & Erma 36]

Send that the Utah wedding is just going to be the better option. It is slightly cheaper too... They want 12k pesos for the wedding in Manila and I still have a bunch of questions they haven't answered.

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

6 hours ago, Steve & Erma said:

Send that the Utah wedding is just going to be the better option. It is slightly cheaper too... They want 12k pesos for the wedding in Manila and I still have a bunch of questions they haven't answered.

Of course they want 12k pesos it's because that 12k is to "expedite" your marriage and to bypass the 10 day waiting period because they know you are a Kano and thus has the money to spend. 

Money greases everything in the Philippines. Luckily the exchange rate right now is really high so the sting doesn't hurt that bad

Edited July 22, 2022 by Cyberfx1024

[Adventine 3,196]

12,000 pesos, likely for a fixer who may or may not deliver as promised.

 

Go with the Utah online wedding. 

[Cyberfx1024 7,980]

8 minutes ago, Adventine said:

12,000 pesos, likely for a fixer who may or may not deliver as promised.

 

Go with the Utah online wedding. 

If I am paying you 12k as a fixer then you gosh darn you better deliver

[John & Rose 7,239]

I married in the Philippines.  Check with the local registrar for their requirements.  They do different things in different areas.  The Affidavit in Lieu of the Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage no longer comes from the US Embassy.  It also doesnt need to be notarized at the embassy.  Any Notary Public in the Philippines can do it.  Your fiancee's sister is talking about a helper but many times their marriages are not certified by PSA.  You can buy fake divorces and annulments too.  They may work locally but they do not fool the embassy how sees a lot of fakes there.  We are related to the mayor that married us and we had to go the regular path.  

 

You need to do the family planning seminar or get out of it like we did.  We brought treats for the local office.  The 10 working day waiting period is law so not getting around that legally.  You can marry the moment the marriage license, which you get from the LCR, becomes active.  Make sure you ask the LCR to expedite with PSA.  We did and got our marriage certificate back within a month.  Others have waited over 6 months for it.

 

My step son did the Utah marriage.  ROM takes 16 weeks and it is 6 months to a year after that when the PSA marriage certificate will be online.  We used the Utah Marriage Certificate for the I-130.  I spoke to the San Francisco Consulate today and they confirmed that they have the ROM and everything looks good.  They said it may be another 2 months before we get it back.  Remember to meet again after the online wedding before you file the visa paperwork.

 

Long story short...beware of fixers.  

[Steve & Erma 36]

@John & Rose @RO_AH

Is there any advantage to getting married (Utah Online) before I go to the Philippines versus doing the same marriage while I am there with my fiance?

[RO_AH 1,659]

2 hours ago, Steve & Erma said:

@John & Rose @RO_AH

Is there any advantage to getting married (Utah Online) before I go to the Philippines versus doing the same marriage while I am there with my fiance?

Yes! You can start preparing to file and you do not have to worry about any challenges of getting married in the Philippines. Or greasing any palms. Like I said before, if you get married there you need to get your PSA marriage certificate before you can even file.

Edited July 24, 2022 by RO_AH

[Steve & Erma 36]

5 hours ago, RO_AH said:

Yes! You can start preparing to file and you do not have to worry about any challenges of getting married in the Philippines. Or greasing any palms. Like I said before, if you get married there you need to get your PSA marriage certificate before you can even file.

Yeah we were just going to do the Utah marriage when I was there so we could be together when it happened.

[Palawan 131]

On 7/22/2022 at 10:35 AM, Cyberfx1024 said:

If I am paying you 12k as a fixer then you gosh darn you better deliver

Fixxers have alot of contacts and can get many things taken care of

[Palawan 131]

I will never get married in the Philippines, as a US Citizen it's can be risky and can lead to legal issues in the future.