Hi All, I wanted to ask if the Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage document can be asked and process on the day of the visit to Canadian Embassy Office in the Philippines? Pls I need this information asap..if someone here have the experience. It will be a big help. Thank You
CERTIFICATE OF LEGAL CAPACITY TO CONTRACT MARRIAGE IN PHILIPPINES
- Thread starter jyf
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The Canadian embassy will not help you, big waste of time going there for that, they will refer you to their website to download and print the form on your own which the file is broken and does not work, I had to use the one from an American embassy website, print a few copies and go to a notary public to sign.
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I did it last year, I know how confusing it seems, once you get it done it's not as confusing as it seems, best way to explain it is as follows, Canada doesn't have the certificate that you are seeking for the marriage license, so what you need is to fill an affidavit in lieu of certificate of no marriage, the one on the Canadian embassy website did not open to print and I doubt they fixed it but double check the website maybe they fixed it, someone I met at the embassy told me to use the one from the American embassy website, it is not a country specific form, it is a generalized affidavit that you need to sign at a notary public stating that your country does not have certificate of no marriage and that you certify yourself to have never been married. I wasted alot of time and money traveling to the embassy last year and they we're not helpful, spoke little English and overall not really nice, all they said is that I had to print the form on my own from their website and I showed them that it did not work and they did not care, anyways hopefully this saves you from that headache, if you have any questions let me know.I see, so when did you do that if I may ask? Coz the local registrar is asking the document that is really coming from the Canadian embassy. Very complicated really
I was married in the Phils in April 2022 and was not asked for such a document. But, I understand that some local registrars do ask.I see, so when did you do that if I may ask? Coz the local registrar is asking the document that is really coming from the Canadian embassy. Very complicated really
Many in the Phils do not understand that, unlike the Phils, Canada does not maintain a central registry of marriages. Hence, no Canadian government authority can issue a document saying that Canada has no record of any marriage for you, or certifying your capacity to marry (at least so far as Canada knows). They simply do not know.
In the Philippines, almost all marriages performed there, and quite a few from abroad, end up registered with the Philippines Statistics Authority. On request, the PSA will search their records and, if no marriage turns up, they will issue a "Cenomar" - Certificate of No Marriage. It is virtually a universal requirement to getting a marriage licence in the Phils that one produce a Cenomar. Me and my Filipino wife both had to produce Cenomars. I was not asked for a "Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage" or any such document from Canada, likely because the local registrar knew that no one in Canada can certify that any Canadian is unmarried and free to marry. All one can do it to swear an affidavit saying they are not married. Kinda' useless, so not always requested. A few years ago, in a Phils town other than where I got married, I was asked about it by another Canadian who was getting married. In his case, the local registrar asked for an affidavit. I drafted one for him on my computer, printed it, and he swore it before a local notary. It did the job. As suggested by @alljacks, there is no particular prescribed form or necessary magic words.
I am guessing you and your betrothed already have Cenomars, since almost guaranteed you will be asked for them. If you do not have them, most cities in the Phils have a PSA office. Walk in, fill in a form with your name and info and that of your parents (d.o.b., etc.) pay about P100 or so, take a seat and wait to be called. Some time later, you will be called to another counter and handed a document - a Cenomar. If not so lucky, then surprise! You'll be handed a document that looks about the same, but will show the details of a marriage the PSA has on your record.