How To Get Legal Capacity Through the Dutch Embassy In The Philippines

Hoi allemaal! As part of the preparation for GJ and I's wedding, we need to obtain a paper from the Dutch Embassy here in the Philippines which is called Legal Capacity or Huwelijksbevoegdheidsverklaring. It is a document that states a Dutch citizen is able to contract marriage to his Filipina fiance, and prove that one has no record of previous marriage or so.

Since GJ and I are going to marry here in the Philippines, we need to go to the Dutch embassy to acquire one. Before setting an appointment with them, here are the documents both parties need to prepare. Again, this is only applicable for those who are in a Dutch-Filipina relationship and will have their wedding in the Philippines.

For Filipina;

• Authenticated PSA Birth Certificate (click here on how to get one)
• Authenticated PSA Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR)
• Philippine Passport

Initially, these documents will be given to you in regular forms. But before heading to the Dutch Embassy, you need to have your documents authenticated. This is the papers with red ribbon and stamp on it. I had my documents authenticated at the DFA satellite office inside SM Megamall and cost Php100 per document (regular processing time). After four or more working days, your authenticated documents are ready for pick up. (You can opt for a faster or expedited processing time of 1 working day for Php200 per document.) Both my birth certificate and certificate of no marriage were authenticated. (Click here to know how to get your papers authenticated or legalized.)

For Dutch;

• Dutch Passport
• Authenticated Birth Certificate
• Authenticated Civil Status Certificate
• Divorce certificate (applicable only if previously married)

All of the Dutch documents should be translated into English. That is why GJ got his papers from the city hall, and then after, have them translated, then authenticated at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then at Philippine Embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands. Authenticated documents from the Philippine Embassy also comes in red ribbon. Make sure to have enough photocopy of each and every page of these documents as well.

Once all of the documents are ready, you can now book an appointment at VFS Global (still the agency which process Dutch Visa in the Philippines). Click here to redirect to VFS Global Booking page. This application is called "Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry". It costs 30EUR or depending on the current exchange rate in PHP.

If all of the documents are correct, Certificate of Legal Capacity will be released the same day. (We got GJ's in less than an hour. There's Ayala Park in front of the BDO Equitable Building where Dutch Embassy is situated and you can roam around there if you want. There's also Starbucks beside the building and it is where we chose to kill the time.)

And that's it. With all these papers on hand, verified (checked multiple times for correctness) and authenticated, you will be able to attain a Legal Capacity.

For supplementary information, do not hesitate to leave a comment below. Doei!

UPDATE: EMBASSY REQUIREMENTS FOR DUTCH NATIONALS WHO WISH TO MARRY IN THE PHILIPPINES

Requirements:

• International Birth Certificate from the Gemeente. The Birth Certificate should first be legalized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken) located at Bezuidenhoutseweg 67, 2594AC Den Haag with tel. no. 07.03.48.64.86
• International Certificate of Single Status from the Gemeente legalized by the Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken also.
• After the two documents (International Birth Certificate & International Certificate of Single Status) have been legalized by the Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken bring it to the Philippine Embassy in The Hague for legalization. Check the legalization fee at the bottom.
• Upon arrival in the Philippines, report to the Dutch Embassy in Manila or Dutch Consulate in Cebu for issuance of the Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage.

Please note that the above requirements are only for civil marriage. Please inquire from the local parish church for additional requirements.

Basic Fees:
Euro 25 (Legalization of Birth Certificate)
Euro 25 (Legalization of Certificate of Single Status)

source: http://www.thehaguepe.dfa.gov.ph/