Getting married or registering a civil partnership abroad: Information based on your answers

Marriage in the Philippines

Before you start

Contact the Civil Registrar where you want to get married to find out about local marriage laws, including what documents you’ll need.

Prove you’re free to get married

###If you live in the UK You’ll need to get a ‘Certificate of No Impediment (CNI)’ to prove you’re free to get married.

If your partner is British, they’ll need to follow the same process to get their own CNI. If they’re not, the documents they need might be different.

You can usually get a CNI by giving a notice of marriage at your local register office or registrar in the UK. To do this:

find your local office or registrar in England and Wales
find your local office or registrar in Scotland
find your local office or registrar in Northern Ireland
find your local office or registrar in Isle of Man
find your local office or registrar in Jersey
find your local office or registrar in Guernsey

A CNI issued in Scotland is valid for 3 months. A CNI issued in England, Wales or Northern Ireland will not expire. Check with your local register office to find out how long a CNI is valid if you live in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. You should also check with the local authorities in the Philippines to find out how long a CNI is valid under local law.

Once it has been issued, you’ll need to get an apostille (stamped official certificate) for your CNI before you can use it in the Philippines.

If you do not live in the UK

If you live in the Philippines or another country that is not the UK, you must swear an affidavit confirming you are free to marry at the British Embassy in Manila. This will cost £50.

Get married

You should give your affidavit to the local Civil Registrar when you apply for a marriage licence.

You’ll usually get the marriage licence 10 days after you apply. You can book your wedding once you’ve got it.

The marriage licence is valid for 120 days and can be used anywhere in the Philippines.

After you get married

Your marriage will be recognised in the UK if:

you follow the correct process according to the law in the Philippines
it would be allowed under UK law

You don’t need to register your marriage in the UK.

If your partner isn’t a British citizen, they can apply for British citizenship once they’ve lived in the UK for 3 years.