Filipino Getting Married to a Malaysian in Malaysia: What you need to know

If you're a Filipino who wants to marry a Malaysian in Malaysia, then this blog post might be of help. Before we proceed, I just want to say CONGRATULATIONS! Getting married is no walk in the park especially on the legal aspects of your preparations.

When my husband and I were preparing for our marriage, we got through a lot of difficult circumstances and people. You see, some government employees are not very helpful, although most of them are (bless them), we were unlucky enough to deal with people who are either uninformed, misinformed, or people who just don't care if you waste your time or money chasing government agencies. We were exhausted  physically, mentally and financially as we were told to go to different government offices, arriving at the said place only to find out that we were supposed to do something else in another government office in another country and things like that, but I decided to be more positive 'cause I'm just absolutely ecstatic about being with the one I love and I won't let this get me down.

So to all of you who are going through the same circumstances as me, I made this blog post to help guide you on your journey. I hope this helps save you time, energy and money that you're supposed to be spending on the actual marriage ceremony. Cheers! :)

These are the documents required by JPN (Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara):

*Birth Certificate and CENOMAR both certified copy by NSO, Authenticated (Red Ribbon) by DFA and Authenticated (Stamped)Embassy of Malaysia

*Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (obtained from Philippine Embassy in Malaysia)

*Photocopy of IC

*Photocopy of Philippine Passport

*Photocopy of Latest VISA

*Accomplished Application For Marriage Form ( Borang Permohonan Cardian / Cabutan Daftar Dokumen Perkahwinan)

After submitting the documents above, you will then be asked to fill out the following:

*Declaration Of Marriage Form (Borang Permohonan, Pemberitahuan, Perkahwinan Dan Akuan Berkanun / Bertulis )

*Passport sized photo of each party (To be attached on the form)

Marriage can take place after the 21 days notice.

HOW TO GET STARTED

WHILE IN THE PHILIPPINES:

You will have to obtain an NSO certified true copy of your birth certificate and CENOMAR or CErtificate of NO MARriage and there are two (2) ways to do it.

Method 1: Although it's a painstakingly long queue, you can go at the earliest available time you have (some people are already queuing as early as 5AM!) to avoid the hassle of being the 536th person to be served. The birth certificate usually cost around Php 140.00 while CENOMAR is around Php 195.00, but if you don't mind spending a bit extra to avoid the overall hassle of obtaining these documents, see method 2.

Method 2: you could visit their website ( https://nsohelpline.ph/order-now ) to have your certificate processed and delivered.  (this is not a fixer site or scam, it is completely legit!)

Here are some FAQs I got from their site:

How to request for an NSO Certificate using NSOHelpline.com?

Log on to NSOHelpline.com and click the Order Now button. You will be guided through a series of validation questions and filling up of an application form by a virtual assistant. You can also make a request by calling our hotline (02) 737-1111.

How much do I pay for the document(s)?

Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates and Death Certificates costs Php 350.00 per copy and CENOMARs or Certificate of No Marriage costs Php 450.00 per copy. Both rates are inclusive of processing and delivery.

Where can I pay for the document(s)?

You may pay through Bancnet online, any Metrobank branch, Bancnet ATM or select Bayad Center outlets nationwide.

When can I receive the documents I requested?

Delivery is usually within 2-3 working days upon receipt of your payment.

What are the necessary requirements when receiving the documents upon delivery?

If the requester is the owner of the Birth Certificate, he'll just need to present a valid ID with picture. If the requester is not the owner, he'll have to present a valid ID with picture of him and the owner and an Authorization Letter. For Marriage Certificate, Death Certificate and CENOMAR or Certificate of No Marriage, just present a valid ID with picture of the requester.

After you received these documents, it must be authenticated(Red Ribbon) by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in DFA Authentication Division, Aseana Building, corner Bradco Ave., Macapagal Blvd. Parañaque City.

See map:

Here is the step-by-step guide for the Authentication:

Step 1. Fill up application form (maximum of 5 documents per application form only)

Step 2. Present a valid ID upon submission of the documents to the processing window

Step 3. Pay the Php 100.00 authentication fee (per document cost)

Step 4. Return the duplicate copy of the receipt to the processing window

Step 5. Claim the authenticated copy of the document on the release date stated upon presenting the machine-validated receipt at the releasing window

*The documents are to be processed and claimed personally.

*Authorized representatives are allowed to process these documents provided that he or she has a letter of request and special power of attorney. The authorized representative also must bring with him/her a photocopy of a valid ID of each parties bearing signatures.

After receiving your authenticated documents, you may now bring it to the Embassy of Malaysia for authentication. Each document cost about Php 300.00 per document the processing time is within three (3) working days but may take longer. The Embassy of Malaysia is located at Salcedo Mansions, Tordesillas, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines

See map:

WHEN IN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA:

You will then bring these documents to the Embassy of the Philippines in Malaysia to apply for a Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (LCCM). These are the things you need:

*Birth Certificate and CENOMAR both certified copy by NSO, Authendicated (Red Ribbon) by    DFA and Authenticated (Stamped)Embassy of Malaysia

*Photocopy of IC

*Photocopy of Philippine Passport

*Passport size photo of both parties (1 piece each)

*A payment of RM 106.25

*Accomplished form of affidavit of contracting parties and application for LCCM (Forms issued by Embassy of the Philippines

Sample forms from www.philembassykl.org.my

It will then be released after 15 working days. If you live outside Kuala Lumpur, you can have the documents delivered to you by a courier service located inside the embassy premises which will cost you around RM30 and an additional of 7 working days of waiting.

After receiving the LCCM, you should bring the documents to:

Consular Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia

(which is located in Wisma Putra, No 1, Jalan Wisma Putra, Precinct 2, 62602 PUTRAJAYA.)

for authentication and it will be released on the same day under normal circumstances (payment is RM20).

See Map: 

LCCM with the stamp on the bottom right of the page

All accomplished documents listed can now be submitted to JPN including an Accomplished Application for Marriage form ( Borang permohonan Cardian / Cabutan Daftar dokumen perkahwinan) issued by the said office. (as shown below)

If you do not intend to be solemnized in JPN's main office in Kuala Lumpur, (say, you want to do it in Kota Kinabalu like I did ) you will be given a sealed envelope containing an endorsement from JPN main office addressed to the branch where you intend to get married.

This is what's inside the sealed envelope :)

After assessing the documents, the JPN personnel will now hand you another form (example below) which you will partially fill up, and will be signed on the day of your solemnization.

Declaration of Marriage form ( Borang permohonan, pemberitahuan, perkahwinan dan akuan berkanun / bertulis ) will be filled out and a passport sized photo is also required for each party. A representative in JPN will explain to you everything you need to know and there will be a 21-day notice period in which you have to wait. The rule is that a notice of the civil marriage has to be filed 21 days before the date of your solemnization.

In case you can't afford to wait for the 21 days, you will then be advised to fill out another form: 
Marriage license application , without the need for notice of marriage (Permohonan lesen perkahwinan, tanpa memerlukan pemberitahuan perkahwinan dan perakuan untuk perkahwinan)

You may now decide the place for your solemnization.

Note that a payment of RM 30 will be made on that day. Participants are advised to wear formal attire and must bring two (2) witnesses.

Citizens marrying citizens can get married in Churches, Temples, Association by Assistant Registrar of Marriages, Malaysian Representative Office Abroad or in National Registration Department.
For Citizens marrying non-citizens, however, solemnization can only take place in the latter two.

Hope you have the information that you need! Good luck!
NOTE: THIS IS NOT A GOVERNMENT OWNED PAGE/POST AND STEPS/REQUIREMENTS FOR THE APPLICATION FOR MARRIAGE MAY CHANGE ANYTIME.