How to Get a Marriage License in the Philippines

To get a marriage license in the Philippines, both parties apply in person at the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) of the city or municipality where either one habitually resides, submit sworn applications with their supporting documents, complete a pre-marriage counseling seminar, and wait out a 10-day public posting period. Everyone involved must be at least 18. The license is issued after the posting if no valid objection is raised, and it stays valid for 120 days for a ceremony anywhere in the country.¹

Plan for two to three weeks from the day you file. Most of that time is the mandatory posting.

Who Can Apply

Article 5 of the Family Code allows any person aged 18 or older to marry, provided they are legally free to do so, meaning single, widowed, or holding a final court decree of annulment or declaration of nullity from a prior marriage.¹

Parental Consent for Ages 18 to 20

If either party is between 18 and 20, the LCR will not issue the license without written parental consent. The Family Code sets the priority: father, then mother, then surviving parent, then guardian. The consent can be given in person at the LCR or through a notarized affidavit signed before two witnesses.¹

Parental Advice for Ages 21 to 25

Applicants between 21 and 25 must ask their parents or guardian for advice about the intended marriage. The parents cannot block the wedding, but if the advice was not sought, was refused, or was unfavorable, the LCR will hold the license for three months after the posting period ends. A sworn statement confirming the advice was sought, together with any written advice given, must be filed with the application.¹ Secure the advice in writing early if you want to avoid that three-month hold.

Prohibited Relationships

Some couples cannot marry each other regardless of age or consent. Article 38 voids marriages between direct ancestors and descendants of any degree, between siblings including half-siblings, between collateral blood relatives up to the fourth civil degree, and between step-parents and step-children, parents-in-law and children-in-law, and adopting parents and adopted children.¹

Documents to Bring

Missing paperwork is the most common reason applicants have to make repeat trips. Gather everything before you go.

PSA-issued birth certificate for each party. Under Article 12, a baptismal certificate or a sworn declaration by two witnesses can substitute if the birth record has been lost or destroyed.¹
Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) from the PSA for each party. You can order it online through the PSA’s authorized service channels for around PHP 420 including courier fees, with delivery in a few business days in Metro Manila or up to about a week in the provinces.
Parental consent or parental advice paperwork if you fall into the relevant age bracket. The LCR usually provides blank forms; a notarized affidavit works too.
Proof that any prior marriage has ended: a PSA-issued death certificate of the former spouse, or a certified copy of the court’s final decree of annulment or declaration of nullity.
Current government-issued photo ID for each applicant.

One thing you do not need is a Community Tax Certificate (cedula). Article 11 specifically exempts marriage license applicants, their parents, and their guardians from any residence certificate requirement.¹ Some LCR offices still ask out of habit, so having one on hand does no harm, but you can proceed without it.

Filing at the LCR

Both applicants must appear together at the LCR of the city or municipality where either one habitually resides. Each party files a separate sworn application covering full name, date and place of birth, civil status, citizenship, residence, and any prior marriage.¹ The LCR supplies the forms, so nothing needs to be prepared in advance beyond your supporting documents.

You will pay the LCR’s application and filing fees at the counter. Amounts vary by municipality, generally in the range of PHP 100 to a few hundred pesos.

Pre-Marriage Counseling

Before the license can be released, both parties must attend a pre-marriage counseling seminar and hand the certificate of attendance to the LCR. The seminars are run by social workers and other professionals accredited by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and typical topics include family planning, responsible parenthood, and financial management.² Most LCR offices can point you to the nearest schedule, and some municipalities hold sessions on fixed weekdays.

The 10-Day Public Posting

Once your application and supporting documents are filed, the LCR posts a notice in a conspicuous place at its office for 10 consecutive days. Anyone with a legal reason the marriage should not go forward can object during that window. If no valid objection is raised by day 10, the LCR issues the license.

Both parties should stay reachable during the posting. The Department of Foreign Affairs specifically advises foreign nationals not to leave the Philippines during this period, because objections may be raised while the notice is up.³

Extra Step for Foreign Nationals

Under Article 21 of the Family Code, a foreign citizen applying for a Philippine marriage license must submit a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage. The certificate is issued by the foreign national’s embassy or consulate in the Philippines and confirms they are legally free to marry under their home country’s laws. Stateless persons and refugees may submit a sworn affidavit describing their capacity instead.¹

Requirements at the issuing embassy vary. Many require a birth certificate and, where applicable, a divorce decree or death certificate of a former spouse, all authenticated for use in the Philippines.³ Because the Philippines is a party to the Apostille Convention, foreign public documents bearing an apostille from the appropriate authority are accepted without further embassy certification.⁴

U.S. Citizens

The United States does not issue the Certificate of Legal Capacity. American applicants instead execute an Affidavit in Lieu of a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry, swearing to identity, date and place of birth, residence, and marital history. Since PSA Memorandum Circular No. 2021-004 took effect, this affidavit no longer has to be notarized at the U.S. Embassy; any local Philippine notary public can notarize it.⁵ Each U.S. state has its own designated apostille office, and fees vary by state.

How Long the License Is Good For

A Philippine marriage license is valid for 120 days from the date of issue and can be used anywhere in the country. The expiration date is stamped in bold on the face of the license.¹ Miss that window and the license is automatically canceled; you would have to start the entire process over, including the 10-day posting.

When a License Is Not Required

The Family Code carves out narrow exceptions. Article 34 allows couples who have lived together as husband and wife for at least five continuous years, with no legal impediment to marry each other during that entire period, to skip the license after both sign a sworn affidavit and the solemnizing officer independently confirms the qualifications.¹ If either party was legally married to someone else during any part of that five-year stretch, the exemption does not apply and the marriage can later be challenged as void. Article 27 permits a marriage without a license when either party is at the point of death, and Article 28 covers residences so remote that reaching the local civil registrar is not possible. Outside these situations, a license is required.

1
Chan Robles Virtual Law Library. Executive Order No. 209 – The Family Code of the Philippines
2
Department of Social Welfare and Development. Pre-Marriage Counseling Accreditation
3
Department of Foreign Affairs. Requirements for Foreigners Marrying Filipinos in the Philippines
4
Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines. Apostille
5
U.S. Embassy in the Philippines. Change in Notarization Requirements for Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage