Key Points
- The Philippine Consulate in Sydney, NSW, receives approximately five to ten report of marriaage each week.
- The Philippine Embassy in Canberra, and the Philippine Consulates in Sydney and Melbourne assess 'Report of Marriage' applications for Filipinos in Australia.
- Philippine Consulate-Sydney Vice Consul Frances Louisa Cleofas reiterates the importance of Filipinos submitting their Report of Marriage as the basis for reflecting married status on their legal documents.
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Pa'no Ba: Report of Marriage for Filipinos in Australia
11:55
'Report of Marriage'
Under the Family Code of the Philippines, records of marriage of Filipinos must be reported and forwarded to the Philippine Civil Registrar even if they are outside the Philippines.
Section 664 of the Code states that "records of marriages whether performed by the Philippine Consular Officer or by the local religious or civil authorities shall be kept and transmitted to the Philippine Civil Registrar through the Department of Foreign Affairs."
Philippine Consulate-Sydney Vice Consul Frances Louisa Cleofas reiterates why it's essential for Filipinos in Australia to report their marriage to the Philippine consulate or embassy.
"These Reports of Marriage will be the basis for the Philippines to issue a Marriage Certificate," Cleofas stresses.
"When the marriage is reported, at the Consulate or Embassy, just like reporting the birth of a child, it will be known that someone or a Filipino is married, and in the eyes of the Philippine law their marriage is legal."
"This document [Report of Marriage] will be the basis to apply and reflect [the married surname] in their Philippine passport."
For Filipinas or Filipino women who got married, for their married surname to be reflected on their Philippine passport, first and foremost, they need to present their Report of Marriage to the Consulate or Embassy before that can happen.Vice Consul Frances Louisa Cleofas
Only three Philippine government offices accept the Report of Marriage applications for Filipinos in Australia.
The Philippine Consulate in Sydney assesses the Report of Marriage for Filipinos throughout New South Wales. While, the Philippine Consulate in Melbourne is in charge of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania.
The Philippine Embassy in Canberra is where you should go process your Report of Marriage if the marriage took place in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory, Vanuatu, Nauru, and Tuvalu.
Requirements
Make sure you prepare the necessary documents so you can proceed with reporting your marriage.
You will need to complete four original Report of Marriage Forms (which can be typed or clearly handwritten) and signed by both parties or by the surviving spouse if one party is deceased at the time of reporting. All four forms must be notarised by either the Philippine Consul, a Notary Public, or a Justice of the Peace (JP).
You also need to submit the original Marriage Certificate with a registry number issued by the Civil Registrar or Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages of the state or territory where the marriage took place. Four photocopies of the original marriage certificate should be provided as the original certificate will be returned to you.
Both married parties need to submit their Birth Certificates and four copies of the data page (with JP certification) of their valid passport or other forms of identification such as driver's license if no valid passport copy is available.
You can do your Report of Marriage within 12 months of marriage taking place to avoid the additional requirement of submitting an Affidavit for the Delayed Registration of Marriage and additional cost.
SBS Filipino interview with Vice Consul Frances Louisa Cleofas of the Philippine Consulate in Sydney on the process of the Report of Marriage. Credit: SBS Filipino
For those with a previous annulled marriage in the Philippines, you need to submit the original marriage contract issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) with proper annotations and four copies of it duly certified by a Justice of Peace.
For Filipinos divorced abroad and recognized in the Philippines, the original PSA Marriage Contract with proper annotation and/or Philippine Court recognition of a foreign divorce decree and four copies certified by JP is required.
For those who were widowed and remarried, the original PSA Death Certificate of the deceased spouse, the original PSA-issued marriage certificate, and four copies of both documents certified by JP are also needed.
Contact the Philippine Consulate in Sydney or Melbourne or the Philippine Embassy in Canberra if you need additional information.
