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

Same-sex marriages and civil partnerships in the Philippines

Before you start

You can get married at the British embassy in Manila.

If you and your partner do not live in the Philippines, you need to have been there for at least 21 days before you can get married. You need to stay in the country for the 21 days.

Prove you’re free to get married

You and your partner need to give notice of your marriage and sign a declaration that you’re legally allowed to marry.

You need to have been in the Philippines for at least 7 full days before you can give notice. This means if you arrived on Monday, you cannot give notice until the following Tuesday.

Give notice of your marriage

Make an appointment at the British embassy in Manila to give notice of your marriage and set a date for your wedding.

It costs £50 to give notice. You can pay in pounds sterling (£) by Visa or MasterCard.

You need to bring:

your and your partner’s passports
proof that you’ve been in the Philippines for at least 7 full days, for example a utility bill, bank statement, passport stamp or boarding pass
proof that your partner is free to get married if they’re not British, for example a certificate of no impediment or a passport showing marital status

If you or your partner have been married or in a civil partnership before, you’ll also need:

your original decree absolute or final order (this could be a printed PDF and covering email from the court) - if you’re divorced
your annulment certificate - if your marriage or civil partnership was annulled
your civil partnership dissolution - if your civil partnership was dissolved
your partner’s death certificate and marriage certificate - if you’ve been widowed

If your divorce, civil partnership dissolution or annulment took place outside the UK, you’ll need evidence that you or your ex partner lived in or were a national of that country at the time of the divorce.

The British embassy will display your notice publicly for 14 days. If nobody registers an objection, you can get married up to 3 months after the end of your notice period.

Sign a declaration

You and your partner also need to sign a declaration to say that you’re legally allowed to get married. The British embassy will give you the document to sign.

You both need to bring proof that you live in the Philippines or you’ve been there for at least the last 21 full days. This could be a utility bill, bank statement, passport stamp or boarding pass.

Get married

Your wedding ceremony will be at the British embassy in Manila on the date you agreed.

You’ll need to bring 2 witnesses to your ceremony. Your witnesses must:

bring photo ID
be 16 or over
know you or your partner
understand English well enough to follow the ceremony and read the marriage register

You, your partner and your 2 witnesses will sign the marriage register.

It costs £150 to register your marriage. You can also pay £50 for a marriage certificate if you want one.

You can pay when you give notice or on your wedding day. Pay in pounds sterling (£) by Visa or MasterCard.

After you get married

You’ll be married under UK law, so your marriage will be recognised in the UK but not in the Philippines or other countries where same sex marriage is not legal.

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