Guidance

Extra documents: intended passport holder born to Philippine mother

Published 21 October 2026

Version 13.0

This guidance tells His Majesty’s Passport Office staff about the documents needed to confirm the marital status of Philippine mothers.

About: Extra documents: intended passport holder born to Philippine mother

This guidance applies to all British nationals and tells HM Passport Office UK and international examiners about:

• the documents we need to confirm the marital status of mothers who are citizens of the Philippines
• the laws about marriage and divorce in the Philippines
• why we need to confirm the marital status of Philippine born mothers
• how the mother’s marital status affects the nationality status for intended passport holders born in the UK or overseas:
  • before 1 July 2006
  • on or after 1 July 2006

This guidance must only be applied to first time applications unless you believe there is an error in the original nationality determination.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the guidance and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the guidance has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this guidance (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the guidance then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the guidance was published:

• version 13.0
• published for Home Office staff on 19 January 2026

Changes from last version of this guidance

This guidance has been updated:

• to tell examiners the guidance must only be applied to first time applications
• throughout, to replace terminology “child” and “children” with “intended passport holder” (as this guidance also applies to adult applications)
• with minor reformatting changes
• to explain we no longer ask the Philippine Statistics Authority to verify a:
  • Certificate of No Marriage Record CRS Number 4 (CENOMAR)
  • Advisory on marriage CRS form Number 5 (CRS form number 5)
• to explain how to deal with an application when you get a CENOMAR or CRS form Number 5 (in the How to deal with CENOMARs and CRS forms section)
• to reflect the change in our sovereign from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to His Majesty King Charles III
• to show this guidance applies to all British nationals
• to confirm you only need to see a CRS form 5 for applicants born before 1st July 2006 where there is information to suggest the mother was previously married, or you have doubts about the parents’ marriage
• to make it clear providing DNA evidence is voluntary and must not be asked for by you, the examiner
• to add a reference to the ‘applications with a connection from abroad’ letter on DAP (Digital Application Processing)
• to tell examiners they must send customers system letter 301 to request a CENOMAR or CRS form on Application Management System (AMS)
• to reflect a change in law, meaning an annulment of a previous marriage can now be accepted if it was before the child was conceived
• to change terminology from ‘connection from abroad’ to ‘international connection’ to align with the DAP Comms Builder
• to remove references to Application Management System (AMS)
• in the section Philippine mother: documents to confirm marital status, to clarify the conditions for when extra documents are not required
• in the section How to deal with CENOMAR and CRS forms, to remove reference to verification checks with the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA), as this process has been discontinued

Considerations: intended passport holder born to Philippine mother

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners why we need to ask for extra documents when the intended passport holder is born to a Philippine born mother, and considerations needed when the intended passport holder is born before 1 July 2006 or on or after 1 July 2006.

You, the examiner, do not need to check for extra documents to confirm the mother’s marital status if both of the following conditions apply:

• the intended passport holder is resident outside the Philippines; and,
• the intended passport holder’s mother was previously married and has been divorced in a country outside the Philippines

You must apply this guidance to applications where the intended passport holder is born (in the UK or abroad) to a mother who is a citizen of the Philippines, and all the following apply:

• the intended passport holder’s nationality claim is solely through the father
• the intended passport holder has not registered as a British national in their own right
• the claim cannot be taken through the mother

Before we can establish a claim to British nationality in these circumstances, we must make sure the intended passport holder’s birth is legitimate under Philippine law. We must also determine who the intended passport holder’s legal father is considering both Philippine and UK law. Due to the laws in the Philippines around marriage we need to ask the customer for extra documents.

Considering marriage and divorce law in the Philippines

Due to the laws in the Philippines about marriage, divorce, nullity (made void) and annulment of marriage, we need to ask the customer for extra documents.

Divorce is not legal in the Philippines, so a person’s original marriage is usually permanent unless the marriage has been:

• annulled (invalidated)
• made a nullity (made void)
• dissolved (divorced) outside of the Philippines

Annulment

An ‘annulment of marriage’ declares the marriage as no longer valid from the date of annulment.

Where the intended passport holder’s mother has been married to another man in the Philippines, you can only accept an annulment of marriage if both of the following apply:

• evidence of an annulment of marriage is provided
• it took place before the intended passport holder was born

If the mother’s marriage has been annulled, you must consider how this affects the intended passport holder’s nationality claim, in line with:

• Philippine mother: intended passport holder born before 1 July 2006; or,
• Philippine mother: intended passport holder born on or after 1 July 2006

Declaration of nullity of marriage

A ‘declaration of nullity’ treats the marriage as void from the start and never having taken place. If the marriage has been nullified, it will not be valid.

If the customer provides a declaration of nullity, you must consider how this affects the intended passport holder’s nationality claim, in line with:

• Philippine mother: intended passport holder born before 1 July 2006; or,
• Philippine mother: intended passport holder born on or after 1 July 2006

Dissolution (divorce)

Dissolution (divorce) is not legal in the Philippines. People who were married in the Philippines but live in a different country can get divorced under the laws of the country they now live in. The validity of a mother’s divorce, if applicable, is to be determined by UK law.

There may be occasions where marriages conducted in the Philippines are regarded as legally dissolved in all other countries, except in the Philippines itself. This means either party in the original marriage will only be able to legally remarry outside of the Philippines.

If a marriage has been lawfully dissolved (divorced), you must consider how this affects the intended passport holder’s nationality claim, in line with:

• Philippine mother: intended passport holder born before 1 July 2006; or,
• Philippine mother: intended passport holder born on or after 1 July 2006

Remarriage

A person can only remarry in the Philippines if:

• the original husband or wife is missing and presumed dead
• their previous marriage has been annulled
• a declaration of nullity has voided the previous marriage
• a foreign national man:
  • is divorced
  • wants to remarry another non-Philippine woman

Philippine mother: intended passport holder born before 1 July 2006 

Where the intended passport holder is born before 1 July 2006, they are presumed to be the child of the mother’s husband. If the intended passport holder is born before 1 July 2006 and does not have a claim to British nationality through their Philippine mother, you must:

• consider all the following points:
  • the intended passport holder’s place of birth
  • the marital status of the mother
  • the father’s place of domicile
  • UK legitimacy and nationality law
  • Philippine law which makes a distinction between legitimate and illegitimate births (see Legitimation and Domicile guidance); and,
• check both of the following, in line with British nationality law:
  • the validity of the parent’s marriage
  • if the intended passport holder’s birth is regarded as legitimate

Born before 1 July 2006: father domiciled in the Philippines

An intended passport holder born before 1 July 2006 (who does not have a claim to British nationality through their Philippine mother) whose father is domiciled in the Philippines, is eligible for a British passport, if their:

• father is a British national and can pass on his nationality status
• parents are lawfully married under Philippine law

The customer must send:

• a CRS form number 5 from the Philippines Statistics Authority, to confirm the mother is married to the father
• evidence of annulment or declaration of nullity of the previous marriage, if the mother was previously married

You cannot accept statutory declarations or affidavits as evidence from applicants of legal separation in support of a claim that a person was free to remarry.

Born before 1 July 2006: father not domiciled Philippines

The legitimacy of an intended passport holder born before 1 July 2006 will depend upon the law of the father’s country of domicile. An intended passport holder born before this date will be legitimate if:

• that country recognises the marriage of the intended passport holder’s father and mother as legally valid; or,
• that country does not require a child’s parents to be married for legitimacy purposes

Philippine mother: intended passport holder born on or after 1 July 2006

Where the intended passport holder is born on or after 1 July 2006 (and they do not have a claim through their Philippine mother), they may be eligible for a British passport if, at the time of the intended passport holder’s birth, the father is:

• a British national and able to pass on his nationality; or,
• permanently settled in the UK (if the intended passport holder was born in the UK)

For the intended passport holder to be eligible, the father must, at the time of the intended passport holder’s birth, be either:

• married to the mother according to UK law
• not married to the mother, but there is proof of paternity (Section 50 (9) BNA 1981 and definition of parents) and the mother is not married to (or in a civil partnership with) another man

There may be difficulties in the Philippines in adding father’s details to birth certificates. Where this applies, evidence of paternity (which may include voluntary DNA evidence) can be provided.

If the Philippine mother is married to another man who is not a British national or settled in the UK:

• the intended passport holder will not be eligible for a British passport through either:
• their natural father; or,
• the mother’s husband
• you must ask the intended passport holder to register as a British citizen, if they meet an exception that would allow us to keep their passport application open while they do so

Philippine mother: documents to confirm marital status

This section tells HM Passport Office examiners what documents we need to confirm the marital status of Philippine mothers.

You, the examiner, do not need to request extra documents to confirm the mother’s marital status, if both of the following conditions apply:

• the intended passport holder is resident outside the Philippines
• we have evidence to show the mother was previously married and has been divorced in a country outside the Philippines (for example, a divorce certificate which is acceptable under UK law showing the divorce took place before the intended passport holder’s birth)

You must ask for a document from the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) if you need to check the mother’s marital status to establish a nationality claim. The PSA will confirm from their records if the mother is married, and to whom.

Philippine mothers who were not previously married

If the mother was not previously married, you must ask for:

• Certificate of No Marriage Record CRS Number 4 (CENOMAR)

Philippine mothers who were previously married

If the mother has previously been married, you will need an Advisory on marriage CRS form Number 5 (CRS form number 5).

If the mother was married to someone other than the father, you will need to see evidence they are no longer married. This will be either:

• a divorce certificate from UK or country outside the Philippines (which is acceptable under UK law) showing the divorce took place before the intended passport holder’s birth
• an annulment of the marriage, if this took place before the intended passport holder’s birth
• a declaration of nullity made either before or after the intended passport holder was born

You must not accept affidavits or statutory declarations as evidence of legal separation.

How to ask for and check CENOMAR or CRS forms

You must ask the customer for a CENOMAR or CRS form number 5 from the  Philippines Statistics Authority, if one is not provided.

To request the documents, you must send a letter using Comms Builder template ‘Applications with an international connection that need more documents’, asking the customer to send us either:

• evidence of either divorce, annulment or a declaration of nullity if the mother has been previously married
• a CENOMAR or CRS Form number 5

How to deal with CENOMARs and CRS forms

You must use the parent’s CENOMAR or CRS form number 5, to assess the intended passport holder’s claim to British nationality (in line with current guidance and if necessary, using a balance of probability). For example, if they show the mother was:

• not married to someone else and there is no other evidence to suggest they were, the intended passport holder will have a claim to British nationality
• married to someone else (or there is other evidence to suggest they were), the intended passport holder will have a not have an automatic claim to British nationality

You must ask the intended passport holder to register as a British citizen if they do not have a claim but they would have if they were born:

• before 1 July 2006 and would have automatically become a British citizen had their mother been married to their natural father
• on, or after 1 July 2006 and would have automatically become a British citizen had their mother not been married to someone other than their natural father

You must refer the application for investigation, if you have fraud concerns.