Wedding Affairs: 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

Requirements in Getting A Marriage License

Getting a Marriage License in the Philippines:
Here are the documents you need to submit in order to obtain a marriage license in the Philippines:
1. Birth certificate (new) - 1 orig & 2 xerox copies
2. CENOMAR (singleness) - issubed by NSO - 1 orig & 1 xerox copy
3. Certificate of Attendance - your lady’s hometown where you’ll be having your marriage seminar -1 orig & 1 xerox copy
4. Barangay Certificate - 1 orig & 1 xerox copy
5. CEDULA - 1 orig & 2 xerox copies
6. For ages 18-24 - appearance of both parents with valid I.D
WIDOW/WIDOWER
1. Death certificate of deceased spouse
- 1 orig & 2 xerox copies
2. CENOMAR -from NSO
- 1 orig & 1 xerox copy
3. CEDULA (latest) - 1 orig & 2 xerox copies
4. Barangay Certificate - 1 orig & 1 xerox copy
ANNULED
1. CENOMAR- from NSO - 1 orig & 1 xerox copy
2. Certificate of Finality from the Courth - 1 orig & 2 xerox copies
3. Certificate of Registration from the LCR - 1 orig & 2 xerox copies
4. CEDULA (latest) - 1 orig & 2 xerox copies
5. Brgy. Certificate - 1 orig & 1 xerox copy
FOREIGNERS
1. Passport I.D- 2 xerox copies
2. Date of Arrival (latest) 2 xerox copies
3. Legal capacity - issued by their respective diplomatic or consular officials - 1 orig & 3 xerox copies
4. CENOMAR - from NSO - 1 orig & 1 xerox copy
5. If divorced, judicial decree of absolute divorce - 1 orig & 2 xerox copies
6. If widow/widower - death certificate of deceased spouse - 1 orig & 2 xerox copies
NOTE:
- for naturalized citizens - bring orig & xerox copies of naturalization papers
- at least one of the applicants is a resident from Philippines
Just a piece of advice, reserve a day (you and your partner) for the seminar. It’s obligatory! Though it’s possible to avoid this by paying somebody like your lawyer/attorney to do it for you but you’ll save a lot of moolaaah if you won’t be hiring anyone. I mean, the process are all the same. It’s your lady who’ll be getting all these documents and not that person you’re hiring.

GETTING A CENOMAR - Certificate of No Marriage Record

NOTE: Please refer to the Family Code of the Philippines for references to any of its article as mentioned in some items below.

A Certificate of No Marriage Record(CENOMAR) is simply what its name implies. It is a certification issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO) stating that a person has not contracted marriage. The NSO is the central repository of among others, marriage records in the Philippines. It receives copies of marriage certificates from local civil registrars pursuant to the duty of the person solemnizing the marriage to send the duplicate and triplicate copies of the marriage certificate not later than fifteen days after the marriage, to the local civil registrar of the place where the marriage was solemnized.

A CENOMAR is not a requirement for marriage. It is only essential if you want to be certain that the civil status of the person you are marrying is still single and that he or she is unattached. This may be important since any marriage contracted while another one is still subsisting is considered as null and void under Article 35 (4) of the Family Code of the Philippines for being bigamous. Moreover, bigamy (the contracting of a second or subsequent marriage before the former marriage has been legally dissolved, or before the absent spouse has been declared presumptively dead by means of a judgment rendered in the proper proceedings) is also punishable as a crime under Article 349 of the Revised Penal Code. So if you have doubts regarding the civil status of your future spouse, it might be a good idea to procure a CENOMAR.

At times, a CENOMAR may be required by certain parishes. It may also be required if your future spouse is applying for a fiancee visa in your behalf. Moreover, Philippine embassies may also require a CENOMAR for Filipino nationals who wish to get married in a foreign country or in the Philippine Embassy within the foreign country.

The following are the information one needs to provide in securing a CENOMAR:

1. Complete name of the person to be certified
2. Complete name of the father
3. Complete maiden name of the mother
4. Date of birth
5. Place of birth
6. Complete name and address of the requesting party
7. Number or copies needed
8. Purpose for the certification

You can now avail of a CENOMAR through the internet. The e-Census (www.e-census.com.ph ) is an online facility that allows you to submit requests for Certificates of No Marriage. According to its website, for local requests, the price for copy issuance for CENOMAR (Singleness) fee per copy is PhP400.00, except if you opt to pay using credit card where your request will be considered as a foreign request and will be charged in US currency. The fees for local requests are inclusive of courier charges for destinations within the Philippines.

For foreign requests, the price is US25.00 per copy for CENOMAR (Singleness) requests. The fees are inclusive of delivery charges using the registered mail service of the Philippine Postal Corporation (PhilPost). For more information, please visit the e-census faq page.

Requirement of An Australian un Marrying in the Philippines:

This information is provided to assist you to complete the necessary formalities to ensure that your marriage is legally recognized under both Philippine and Australian law.

For a foreigner to legally marry under Philippine law, two documents are required:

Certificate of No Impediment (CNI) (also known as Certificate of Legal Capacity)
Marriage License

NOTE: Philippine law requires the CNI to be issued by the Embassy of the applicant's country of nationality in the Philippines. Documents issued in Australia or other countries are not acceptable to the Philippine authorities.

The Certificate of No Impediment (CNI) to Marriage, is not a requirement of Australian law. This is issued at the request of overseas countries seeking to ensure that a marriage involving Australian citizens, celebrated in that country, will also be recognized as a valid marriage by the Australian authorities.

A WORD OF WARNING: There have been cases where people have offered to be of assistance in arranging a marriage without completing all the necessary formalities. These marriages may not be recognized for purpose of migration to Australia. If you are encouraged or advised to go through marriage procedures which differ from the following process you should check with the Immigration Section of the Australian Embassy in Manila to ensure your marriage will be recognized as legitimate for migration purposes.

For Australian citizens the quickest and easiest way to obtain a CNI is by mail of from Consular Section of the Australian Embassy.

Australian citizens must complete an application for a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage and lodge the completed form with the Consular section of the Australian Embassy in Manila.

This application form may be obtained from:

The Australian Embassy in Manila, or from any other Australian Embassy or Consulate overseas
Any office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia.

Full details of your intended spouse must be included in the application for the CNI. Evidence of the applicant's nationality and date of birth must be sighted before a CNI can be issued, normally an Australian passport or birth certificate. A certified copy of these documents may be accepted if you do not wish to send the original documents in the mail.

If you choose to send the forms to the Embassy by mail, please allow sufficient time for delivery bearing in mind that there are often delays (and losses) in domestic and overseas mail.

PLEASE NOTE: The Embassy does not have the resources to acknowledge receipt of these forms.

We suggest you contact the Consular Section of the Embassy about three weeks after posting, to confirm receipt of forms.

There is no waiting period for the issue of a CNI. A CNI can be issued by the Embassy immediately if all requirements are met.

The applicant must declare that the information contained in the application is true. The declaration must be witnessed by a person who holds the office or professional qualification listed at the bottom of the application. Where the application is declared overseas, it may be witnessed by a person, who holds under foreign law, an equivalent office or equivalent professional qualifications to those listed at the bottom of the application.

An authorization letter is required for a fiancé or fiancée to collect the Certificate. Identification must be produced to confirm the identity of the fiancé or fiancée named on the Certificate.

The processing fee for the CNI, payable on or before collection. Payment should be made by cash or bank cheque (not Australian $). If you would like the Embassy to post the CNI to you, please provide your mailing address. You should allow sufficient time for any postal delays.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Choosing Catholic wedding vows

The Catholic wedding vows are the heart—the essential element—of the sacrament of marriage. Through these simple words, the couple exchange their consent to be married; that is, they choose to give themselves to the other, and to accept the gift of the other. The marriage can’t happen without this declaration of consent.

Can we write our own Catholic wedding vows?

Because consent is essential to the marriage, the Church provides the words by which the parties consent to the marriage. This means that you won't be able to write your own Catholic wedding vows, but there are other ways to make a personal expression of love.

The Rite of Marriage does provide several different options for the
words of consent ; for example, you can memorize the words, or simply respond to questions from the priest or deacon assisting at your marriage. The different options are reviewed below.

Before the vows: Stating your intentions

The vows occur near the beginning of the Rite of Marriage, after a short address by the presider.

No matter which form you choose, the vows are preceded by the Statement of Intentions. The presider will ask you three questions:

"(Name) and (name), have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?"

"Will you honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?"

"Will you accept children lovingly from God, and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"

The bride and groom respond "I will" or "yes" . Your formal marriage preparation program should explore the significance of these questions, so that your responses will be both honest and meaningful.

Choose from two versions of the vows

In the United States, couples can choose from two different versions of the Catholic wedding vows. The standard version goes like this:

Priest (or deacon): Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church.

Groom: I, (name), take you, (name), to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

Bride: I, (name), take you, (name), to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life.

In dioceses of the United States, the vows may also take the following form:

Groom: I, (name), take you, (name), for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

Bride: I, (name), take you, (name), for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

Decide whether to memorize the vows

Once you've chosen the form of the vows, you'll want to decide whether to memorize the words of consent (vows). There are two advantages to memorizing the vows. First, speaking the vows provides a fuller, richer symbol of your consent to be married. And second, the act of memorizing the words of consent in the months and weeks leading up to the wedding is also a good spiritual practice that will help you to focus on the deeper meaning of your marriage.

If you're worried about forgetting the words, or being too emotional to say them clearly, many priests and deacons will have you repeat the words of consent after them, phrase by phrase. The Rite of Marriage doesn't actually suggest this, though; instead, it offers this simple alternative:

Priest: (Name), do you take (name) to be your wife? Do you promise to be true to her in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love her and honor her all the days of your life?

Groom: I do.

Priest: (Name), do you take (name) to be your husband? Do you promise to be true to him in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, to love him and honor him all the days of your life?

Bride: I do.

Again, the Rite provides a second option for dioceses in the United States:

Priest: (Name), do you take (name) for your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?

Groom: I do.

Priest: (Name), do you take (name) for your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?

Bride: I do.

The priest acknowledges that the couple have declared their consent to be married, prays for God's blessing on the couple, and declares, "What God has joined, men must not divide" . This is the point at which, sacramentally, the bride and groom become wife and husband.

Decide whether to have a song or acclamation after the vows

Many couples choose to insert a song, soloist, or instrumental piece after the vows. There is a certain logic to emphasizing the declaration of consent in this way: it's the high point of the wedding ceremony, after all.

However, many liturgical experts strongly advise against inserting a long song or instrumental piece after the vows, because it interrupts the flow and momentum of the Rite of Marriage, and the whole liturgy. Solo and instrumental pieces in particular leave the assembly on the sidelines, and the wedding party awkwardly standing around waiting for the music to finish.

Instead, consider using a short, joyful musical acclamation after the exchange of consent and again after the exchange of rings. If you regularly attend Catholic Mass, you've heard this type of sung acclamation before in the Alleluia, the Memorial Acclamation, the Great Amen, and the responsorial psalm. A cantor (song leader) sings the words of the acclamation first, then invites the whole assembly to sing the acclamation. Generally, the acclamation lasts less than 30 seconds. Your parish music minister or wedding coordinator can help you choose an appropriate acclamation.

Planning Your Catholic Wedding

Congratulations on your engagement! Your parish will be happy to help you plan your wedding. This website can help, too, by giving you an idea of what to expect. The following "Table of Contents" will help you find the information you need to plan your wedding.

1. Getting engaged