CHURCH REQUIREMENTS:
Just browsing through the requirements before getting married. There are so many things to do legally and evangelically!
I. General Church Wedding Requirements
**NOTE: Other Churches/Parishes may require some other documents and/or seminars not specified below. To be sure, inquire at the parish office of the church you wish to be married in.
1. Baptismal and Confirmation Certificates: These relates to both the bride's and the groom's. These must be new copies and must have an annotation: "FOR MARRIAGE PURPOSES ONLY" and must have been secured not more than three (3) months before the date of marriage.
FOR MIXED MARRIAGE (different religions or Disparitas Cultas): a dispensation must be secured from the Archdiocesan Chancery Office at the Arzobispado de Manila, 121 Arzobispo St., Intramuros, Manila (near Manila Cathedral). The forms will be provided at the Parish Office which will be released after the canonical interview with the Parish Priest or his assistant. These have to be submitted one week before the wedding.
2. Marriage License: This can be secured from the city or municipality hall where either the bride or the groom currently resides.For those who are civilly married, a certified true photocopy of the Marriage Contract with the registry number of the city or town where the marriage was performed must be submitted one week before the wedding date.
3. Canonical Interview: This interview with the bride and the groom will be done one month before the wedding date and will be conducted by the parish priest or his assistant. The schedule of the interview will be given upon the signing of the application form. Failure to report on the interview date or failure to notify the office of any change in the schedule will mean cancellation of the application and reservation of the church for the upcoming wedding.
4. Pre-Marriage Seminar: Both the bride and the groom have to attend this. The schedule for the seminar will be given during the canonical interview or you may inquire at the parish office. Some churches may allow attendance in other pre-wedding seminars such as the Catholic Engaged Encounter (CEE) or Discovery Weekend (DW) as a suitable substitute (if you have already attended either one of these, inquire at the parish office if they recognize either CEE or DW in lieu of their Pre-Marriage Seminar.)
5. Permission from bride's parish: a permit from the parish of the bride-to-be must be secured and presented to the parish office of the couple's chosen ceremony venue. The form will be provided by the parish office of your chosen church.
6. Marriage Banns: These will be provided during the canonical interview and have to be immediately brought to the respective parishes of the bride and the groom for posting. These have to be returned to the office after three Sundays. (Note: the respective parishes may ask some requirements for the posting of the banns [i.e. a ID picture from the bride and the groom])
7. List of names and addresses of principal sponsors (Ninongs & Ninangs): This has to be submitted to the parish office one week before the wedding date. Church policy requires at least a pair of sponsors and, ideally, a maximum of six sponsors.
II. Application for a Philippine Marriage License
Marriage License: a requirement for either a Civil or Church wedding to be held in the Philippines. The Application Form for a marriage license must be secured at the Local Civil Registrar from the city, town or municipality where either the bride or the groom habitually resides. The personal appearance of those getting married is required in applying for a marriage license.
Each of the contracting parties shall file separately a sworn application for each license with the
proper local civil registrar. Philippine law prescribes a ten-day waiting period from the filing of the Application to the issuance of the marriage license. The license is valid for 120 days from date of issuance and may be used anywhere in the Philippines.
At the time the contracting parties appear to file their application for a Marriage License to the local civil registrar, he or she must also submit the following supporting documents:
1. Birth Certificate - Certified True Copy required of each the contracting parties with the respective registry number. This document is issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO).
NOTE: NSO now provides a web service which accepts online application for copies of birth and marriage certificates. It is called the e-Census, a web facility aimed to provide Filipinos within and outside the country an alternative means in applying for copies of their civil registry documents. It also has a 24-7 hotline called the NSO Helpline Plus with telephone no. (632)737.1111. You could also reach them via email through: e-census.info@mail.census.gov.ph
2. Parents' Consent (for 18-21 years old) or Parent's Advice (for 21-25 years old): Under Philippine law, the legal age for marriage is 18. If the contracting parties are between the ages of 18 and 21, they must present written consent to the marriage from their father, mother or legal guardian. While any contracting party between the age of 22 and 25 must present written parental advice, i.e., a written indication that the parents are aware of the couple's intent to marry.
3. Certificate of Attendance in a pre-marital counseling and family planning seminar conducted by the Division of Maternal and Child Health at the Municipal/City Hall in the same municipality or city where the contracting parties applied for the marriage license.
III. Parental Consent vs. Parental Advicecontent
provided by Atty. Ryan L. Tanjutco and tanjutcolaw.com
NOTE: Please refer to the Family Code of the Philippines for references to any of its article as mentioned in some items below.
Q: What is the difference between Parental Advice and Parental Consent for purposes of contracting marriage?
A: There has been some confusion over the provisions of the Family Code of the Philippines mandating parties between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one years to obtain parental consent and the rule requiring parties between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-five to obtain parental advice before getting married. We will now clarify matters by tackling the difference between the two requirements.
PARENTAL CONSENT
The rule on parental consent is found under Article 14 of the Family Code. It states that in case either or both of the contracting parties are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, they shall exhibit to the local civil registrar, the consent to their marriage of their father, mother, surviving parent or guardian, or persons having legal charge of them, in the order mentioned.
The parental consent shall be manifested in writing by the interested party, who personally appears before the proper local civil registrar, or in the form of an affidavit made in the presence of two witnesses and attested before any official authorized by law to administer oaths. The personal manifestation shall be recorded in both applications for marriage license, and the affidavit, if one is executed instead, shall be attached to said applications.
Non-compliance with the requirement of parental consent does not make the marriage invalid or void but merely annullable, which means that the marriage is valid until annulled. As a result, a petition for the annulment of the marriage may be filed by the parents, guardian or person having substitute parental authority over the party seeking the annulment, in that order, unless after attaining the age of twenty-one, such party freely cohabited with the other and both lived together as husband and wife.
PARENTAL ADVISE
The rule on parental advice is found under Article 15 of the Family Code. It states that any contracting party between the age of twenty-one and twenty-five shall be obliged to ask their parents or guardian for advice upon the intended marriage. If they do not obtain such advice, or if it be unfavorable, the marriage license shall not be issued till after three months following the completion of the publication of the application thereof.
A sworn statement by the contracting parties to the effect that such advice has been sought, together with the written advice given, if any, shall be attached to the application for marriage license. Should the parents or guardian refuse to give any advice, this fact shall be stated in the sworn statement.
However, if the marriage license is issued within the said three months and the parties were able to get married on the basis of such marriage license, the said marriage is completely valid but will subject the parties to civil, criminal or administrative liabilities in accordance with Article 4, Paragraph 3 of the Family Code of the Philippines which states that:
"An irregularity in the formal requisites shall not affect the validity of the marriage but the party or parties responsible for the irregularity shall be civilly, criminally and administratively liable."
For the Church and State, both ** and I have to go through some pre-marriage seminars that take about a whole weekend - Saturday & Sunday. The details are below:
I. General Church Wedding Requirements
**NOTE: Other Churches/Parishes may require some other documents and/or seminars not specified below. To be sure, inquire at the parish office of the church you wish to be married in.
1. Baptismal and Confirmation Certificates: These relates to both the bride's and the groom's. These must be new copies and must have an annotation: "FOR MARRIAGE PURPOSES ONLY" and must have been secured not more than three (3) months before the date of marriage.
FOR MIXED MARRIAGE (different religions or Disparitas Cultas): a dispensation must be secured from the Archdiocesan Chancery Office at the Arzobispado de Manila, 121 Arzobispo St., Intramuros, Manila (near Manila Cathedral). The forms will be provided at the Parish Office which will be released after the canonical interview with the Parish Priest or his assistant. These have to be submitted one week before the wedding.
2. Marriage License: This can be secured from the city or municipality hall where either the bride or the groom currently resides.For those who are civilly married, a certified true photocopy of the Marriage Contract with the registry number of the city or town where the marriage was performed must be submitted one week before the wedding date.
3. Canonical Interview: This interview with the bride and the groom will be done one month before the wedding date and will be conducted by the parish priest or his assistant. The schedule of the interview will be given upon the signing of the application form. Failure to report on the interview date or failure to notify the office of any change in the schedule will mean cancellation of the application and reservation of the church for the upcoming wedding.
4. Pre-Marriage Seminar: Both the bride and the groom have to attend this. The schedule for the seminar will be given during the canonical interview or you may inquire at the parish office. Some churches may allow attendance in other pre-wedding seminars such as the Catholic Engaged Encounter (CEE) or Discovery Weekend (DW) as a suitable substitute (if you have already attended either one of these, inquire at the parish office if they recognize either CEE or DW in lieu of their Pre-Marriage Seminar.)
5. Permission from bride's parish: a permit from the parish of the bride-to-be must be secured and presented to the parish office of the couple's chosen ceremony venue. The form will be provided by the parish office of your chosen church.
6. Marriage Banns: These will be provided during the canonical interview and have to be immediately brought to the respective parishes of the bride and the groom for posting. These have to be returned to the office after three Sundays. (Note: the respective parishes may ask some requirements for the posting of the banns [i.e. a ID picture from the bride and the groom])
7. List of names and addresses of principal sponsors (Ninongs & Ninangs): This has to be submitted to the parish office one week before the wedding date. Church policy requires at least a pair of sponsors and, ideally, a maximum of six sponsors.
II. Application for a Philippine Marriage License
Marriage License: a requirement for either a Civil or Church wedding to be held in the Philippines. The Application Form for a marriage license must be secured at the Local Civil Registrar from the city, town or municipality where either the bride or the groom habitually resides. The personal appearance of those getting married is required in applying for a marriage license.
Each of the contracting parties shall file separately a sworn application for each license with the
proper local civil registrar. Philippine law prescribes a ten-day waiting period from the filing of the Application to the issuance of the marriage license. The license is valid for 120 days from date of issuance and may be used anywhere in the Philippines.
At the time the contracting parties appear to file their application for a Marriage License to the local civil registrar, he or she must also submit the following supporting documents:
1. Birth Certificate - Certified True Copy required of each the contracting parties with the respective registry number. This document is issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO).
NOTE: NSO now provides a web service which accepts online application for copies of birth and marriage certificates. It is called the e-Census, a web facility aimed to provide Filipinos within and outside the country an alternative means in applying for copies of their civil registry documents. It also has a 24-7 hotline called the NSO Helpline Plus with telephone no. (632)737.1111. You could also reach them via email through: e-census.info@mail.census.gov.ph
2. Parents' Consent (for 18-21 years old) or Parent's Advice (for 21-25 years old): Under Philippine law, the legal age for marriage is 18. If the contracting parties are between the ages of 18 and 21, they must present written consent to the marriage from their father, mother or legal guardian. While any contracting party between the age of 22 and 25 must present written parental advice, i.e., a written indication that the parents are aware of the couple's intent to marry.
3. Certificate of Attendance in a pre-marital counseling and family planning seminar conducted by the Division of Maternal and Child Health at the Municipal/City Hall in the same municipality or city where the contracting parties applied for the marriage license.
III. Parental Consent vs. Parental Advicecontent
provided by Atty. Ryan L. Tanjutco and tanjutcolaw.com
NOTE: Please refer to the Family Code of the Philippines for references to any of its article as mentioned in some items below.
Q: What is the difference between Parental Advice and Parental Consent for purposes of contracting marriage?
A: There has been some confusion over the provisions of the Family Code of the Philippines mandating parties between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one years to obtain parental consent and the rule requiring parties between the ages of twenty-one and twenty-five to obtain parental advice before getting married. We will now clarify matters by tackling the difference between the two requirements.
PARENTAL CONSENT
The rule on parental consent is found under Article 14 of the Family Code. It states that in case either or both of the contracting parties are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one, they shall exhibit to the local civil registrar, the consent to their marriage of their father, mother, surviving parent or guardian, or persons having legal charge of them, in the order mentioned.
The parental consent shall be manifested in writing by the interested party, who personally appears before the proper local civil registrar, or in the form of an affidavit made in the presence of two witnesses and attested before any official authorized by law to administer oaths. The personal manifestation shall be recorded in both applications for marriage license, and the affidavit, if one is executed instead, shall be attached to said applications.
Non-compliance with the requirement of parental consent does not make the marriage invalid or void but merely annullable, which means that the marriage is valid until annulled. As a result, a petition for the annulment of the marriage may be filed by the parents, guardian or person having substitute parental authority over the party seeking the annulment, in that order, unless after attaining the age of twenty-one, such party freely cohabited with the other and both lived together as husband and wife.
PARENTAL ADVISE
The rule on parental advice is found under Article 15 of the Family Code. It states that any contracting party between the age of twenty-one and twenty-five shall be obliged to ask their parents or guardian for advice upon the intended marriage. If they do not obtain such advice, or if it be unfavorable, the marriage license shall not be issued till after three months following the completion of the publication of the application thereof.
A sworn statement by the contracting parties to the effect that such advice has been sought, together with the written advice given, if any, shall be attached to the application for marriage license. Should the parents or guardian refuse to give any advice, this fact shall be stated in the sworn statement.
However, if the marriage license is issued within the said three months and the parties were able to get married on the basis of such marriage license, the said marriage is completely valid but will subject the parties to civil, criminal or administrative liabilities in accordance with Article 4, Paragraph 3 of the Family Code of the Philippines which states that:
"An irregularity in the formal requisites shall not affect the validity of the marriage but the party or parties responsible for the irregularity shall be civilly, criminally and administratively liable."
For the Church and State, both ** and I have to go through some pre-marriage seminars that take about a whole weekend - Saturday & Sunday. The details are below:
- Asian Center for Personal & Organizational Development
28-13th Avenue, Cubao, Quezon City
Tel: 440.1111; 0926.7294148
Email: grace_williams7@yahoo.com
Site: acepod.googlepages.com/home - Catholic Engaged Encounter
Fr. Dave Clay 523.3361; 525.0308
Dado & Cory Hipolito 810.0222
Vinchy & Elisha Lirios 721.4153; 722.0806
Robbie & Bernadette Fabian 829.6182
Ike & Ana Madamba 726.6568
Chin & Lorna Fernandez 700.4519
Email: ceephilippines@yahoo.comcee.weddingsatwork.com - Discovery Weekend ManilaSpiritual-
Pastoral Center, ADMU Loyola Heights, Q.C.
Tel: 426.12710; 0917.6656181
Email: info@discoveryweekend.org
Cebu(032) 261.2351; 0917.6202020
Davao(082) 305.6386; 0917.704.2809; 0916.700.1152
Naga(054) 472.3323
Email: dw.weddingsatwork.com - Fit to Wed Relationship Coaching
0917.8244226; 0918.3483808
Email: spearhead_consulting@yahoo.com
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