How do I get married to a foreigner in the Philippines?

Each country has its own laws and requirements for marriage. Depending on the legal status of the future spouses (citizens or foreigners) these requirements may vary. Therefore, before preparing for your wedding, you should definitely find out what the rules are for getting married in the country where you want to get married.

In Georgia, for example, it is very easy to legalize a relationship. You apply and you can have your wedding the very next day. 

You can get married without being a citizen and without a residence permit. You are not required to practice any religion and the two things you really need are to attend the ceremony in person and to have witnesses.

If you would like to learn more about weddings in Georgia, contact the managers at Shu Wedding Agency and we will be sure to answer any questions you may have.

As for getting married in the Philippines, especially if one of the partners is a foreigner, things are much more complicated.

Seven stages for a wedding in the Philippines

1. Choose whether you want to get married in a church or have a civil marriage. It affects: the package of documents you need to collect (for civil marriage it is less), the number of costs and time and preparation, the place of registration, and the procedure itself.
2. Collect all necessary documents and certificates. For foreign citizens, this list should be clarified at the embassy of their country.
3. Submit valid documents and certificates to the civil registry office. Some documents have limited validity, so do not delay submitting them.
4. Attend seminars if you have them scheduled.
5. Prepare for the ceremony: choose a place, date, and time and book them in advance; prepare clothes, decorations, and invitations; invite witnesses; buy rings and take care of transportation.
6. Come to the ceremony with two adult witnesses, and confirm your consent to the marriage in front of an authorized person.
7. After receiving all documents, the foreigner must witness the marriage at the embassy or consulate of the home country.

Requirements to get married in the Philippines with a foreigner 2025

The legal basis for marriages involving foreigners in the Philippines is primarily the Family Code of the Philippines (Exec. Order No. 209, as amended), supported by the Civil Registry Law, PSA administrative orders (document formats such as CENOMAR and birth certificates), and relevant inter-agency memoranda (DFA, DOJ, BI). Supreme Court decisions (for example, Republic v. Manalo) also affect how foreign judgments – most notably foreign divorces – are treated when one party is Filipino.

Essential and formal requisites

• Essential: both parties must have legal capacity to marry under their national laws and must freely give consent in the presence of an authorised solemnising officer.
• Formal: proper authority of the solemniser, a valid marriage licence (unless the marriage is licence-exempt), the personal appearance of the parties at the ceremony, at least two witnesses of legal age, and signing of the marriage certificate. Defects in essential requisites render the marriage void; defects in formal requisites may render it voidable or void depending on the circumstances.

Key documents the foreign party will usually need

• Valid passport (mandatory).
• Birth certificate (apostilled or legalised and officially translated if not in English).
• Certificate of No Record of Marriage (CENOMAR) or an equivalent civil-status document from the foreign registry, where available.
• Certificate or Affidavit of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage issued by the foreigner’s embassy/consulate in the Philippines (many embassies issue either a formal certificate or a notarised affidavit – examples include the U.S., Japan, Korea). Some embassies (e.g., China, India) do not issue such certificates; in practice a sworn affidavit of singleness before a Philippine notary may be accepted, but issuance of the marriage licence remains at the Local Civil Registrar’s (LCR) discretion.
• If previously married: death certificate of deceased spouse; final divorce decree (with apostille/translation) or final judgment of annulment/nullity. Important: if the foreigner’s prior spouse was Filipino, a Philippine court’s recognition of the foreign divorce is required before remarriage (per Manalo and Family Code provisions).
• Where embassy documents are processed outside the Philippines (rare), they must bear an Apostille or be authenticated via the Philippine Consulate and DFA.

More about marriage in the Philippines with a foreign citizen

Applying for a marriage licence

Couples file the standard Joint Affidavit of Intent to Marry at the local Civil Registrar. The LCR posts the Notice of Marriage Application for 10 consecutive days; on the 11th day, the licence may be issued. A marriage licence, once issued, is valid for 120 days nationwide (Art. 17, Family Code). Some LCRs may request proof of lawful stay (visa, ACR-I-Card) before processing, while the Bureau of Immigration does not control licence issuance, documentary proof of legal presence is commonly asked.

Forms of marriage and who may solemnise

• Civil marriage: may be solemnised by a judge, mayor, or in special circumstances by other authorised officers (and in articulo mortis by a ship captain or aircraft pilot). Civil ceremonies are typically the fastest option.
• Religious marriage: priests, ministers, imams or other duly authorised religious officiants may solemnise; the marriage contract must be filed with the LCR within 15 days (30 days for Muslim solemnisations).
• Customary/tribal marriage: authorised tribal chieftains or elders may solemnise these; an NCIP (National Commission on Indigenous Peoples) certificate is required where applicable.
• Same-sex marriages: currently not recognised under Philippine law (Family Code defines marriage as between “a man and a woman”).

Licence-exempt marriages (Art. 27–34, Family Code)

A licence is not required in limited circumstances such as imminent death (in extremis), remote areas with no accessible LCR, military operations where a commanding officer may solemnise, and marriages governed by Muslim personal law or customary law where other legal rules apply.

Other administrative and local requirements

• Pre-marriage counselling or seminars: mandated for parties aged 18–25 (Art. 16, Family Code); however many LGUs require attendance of both parties regardless of age.
• ACR-I-Card / Visa: ACR-I-Card is mandatory for foreigners staying beyond 59 days; LCRs often ask for visa or ACR-I-Card to verify lawful stay though neither is strictly a statutory prerequisite for the licence.
• NBI or police clearances: not required by national law but occasionally requested by some localities for anti-bigamy screening.

Post-ceremony registration and timing

The solemnising officer signs the marriage certificate in multiple copies and must transmit it to the LCR within 15 days for civil/religious weddings (or 30 days for Muslim/tribal solemnisations). The LCR forwards the record to the PSA for national registration; a PSA-certified copy typically becomes available about 2-3 months after registration. Late registration is possible but requires payment of fees and an affidavit of late registration.

Civil wedding requirements for foreigners

A civil wedding in the Philippines is an official state procedure for getting married, conducted without the involvement of religious organizations. This option is often chosen by couples where one spouse is a foreign national, as it is simpler to arrange and registered faster than religious or customary ceremonies.

How a civil wedding differs from a religious wedding

• Ceremony officiants. A civil wedding is conducted by a government official – a mayor, judge, or an authorized representative of the local authorities. In religious weddings, registration is handled by a clergy member, and in customary or tribal marriages – by a chieftain or elder.
• Registration timeline. In a civil ceremony, all documents are submitted directly to the Local Civil Registrar (LCR), which speeds up registration. In religious weddings, the church has up to 15 days to forward documents to the LCR, and in Muslim or tribal ceremonies – up to 30 days.
• Form of the ceremony. Civil weddings are minimalist: the couple formally declares their intent and signs the marriage contract in the presence of witnesses. Religious weddings involve rituals and requirements specific to the faith.
• International recognition. For foreigners, a civil wedding is often preferable because it is easier to validate abroad: a PSA-issued marriage certificate is usually sufficient for recognition in another country.

How a civil wedding is conducted

1. Submission of documents to the LCR. The couple submits an application along with documents proving identity and legal capacity to marry.
2. Publication period. The marriage notice is posted at the LCR for 10 consecutive days.
3. Issuance of a marriage license. On the 11th day, the couple receives the license, which is valid for 120 days.
4. Ceremony. Conducted at the city hall or another official venue in the presence of a judge or mayor. Typically, the ceremony takes 15–20 minutes.
5. Registration of the marriage. Documents are immediately forwarded to the LCR, making a civil wedding the fastest form of marriage registration.

Advantages for foreigners

• Simplicity and transparency. All requirements are clearly defined in the law, without additional conditions related to religion or cultural traditions.
• Speed. From document submission to receiving the marriage certificate, the procedure takes less time than religious or tribal ceremonies.
• Flexibility. Civil weddings are particularly convenient for foreigners because PSA-issued documentation is usually sufficient to confirm the marriage in their home country.

Unfortunately, preparing for a wedding in the Philippines is not a quick process and can be a lot of work, especially if there are problems with documents or permission from parents. This is not to mention church marriages, where things are even more complicated.

Many couples from this region do not want to spend so much time on bureaucratic processes and choose to get married in another country with simpler laws. One of the popular countries for foreigners to get married is Georgia, as it is quite realistic to get married here in just 24 hours.

A marriage performed in Georgia is legal worldwide and the only thing you will need to do after returning to the Philippines is to legalize it with the local authorities. 

The fastest and happiest marriages are in Georgia, verified by clients of Shu Wedding Agency.