Why should I report our marriage to the Philippine Consulate General?

A marriage where one or both of the contracting parties is a Filipino citizen must be reported to the Consulate in order for the said marriage to be properly registered and recorded with the Office of the Civil Registrar General in Manila.

The Consulate can only undertake the marriage registration process if the marriage took place within in its jurisdiction, i.e., British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon Territories and Northwest Territories.  For marriages outside of its jurisdiction, the Report of Marriage must be filed with the Philippine Embassy or Consulate which exercises jurisdiction over the place of marriage.

​In general, divorces between Filipinos are not recognized under Philippine law, wherever the decree is obtained.  However, in the case of mixed marriages e.g. between Filipinos and foreigners, Philippine law would allow a divorced Filipino to re-marry, if the alien spouse initiated the divorce proceedings.  In this case, however, the Filipino spouse may be required to show proof or document of her previous husband's foreign citizenship.

Decrees of annulment issued by Philippine courts pursuant to the Family Code would allow Filipinos to re-marry.  A judicial decree declaring the nullity of a marriage from the beginning would allow re-marriage.