Walang birth certificate ang gustong pakasalan

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | Enero 16, 2023

Dear Chief Acosta,

Ako ay kasalukuyang apat na buwang nagdadalang-tao. Pinaplano na namin ng aking nobyo na magpakasal bago pa ako manganak, subalit wala siyang kopya ng kanyang birth certificate. Ang nabanggit lamang ng kanyang nanay ay kumadrona ang nagpaanak sa kanya at sa pagkakaalam niya ay naipatala ang kapanganakan ng aking nobyo. Maaari pa rin ba kaming magpakasal? Baka kasi hindi maging balido ang aming kasal kung wala siyang maipresenta na birth certificate. - Sherryl

Dear Sherryl,

Kung ating susuriin, ang birth certificate o tala ng kapanganakan ay hindi rekisito ng balidong kasal. Ang mga rekisito na nakasaad sa ating Family Code ay ang mga sumusunod lamang:

“Art. 2. No marriage shall be valid, unless these essential requisites are present:

1. Legal capacity of the contracting parties who must be a male and a female; and

2. Consent freely given in the presence of the solemnizing officer.

Art. 3. The formal requisites of marriage are:

1. Authority of the solemnizing officer;

2. A valid marriage license except in the cases provided for in Chapter 2 of this Title; and

3. A marriage ceremony which takes place with the appearance of the contracting parties before the solemnizing officer and their personal declaration that they take each other as husband and wife in the presence of not less than two witnesses of legal age.”

Gayunman, mahalaga pa rin ang pagpipresenta ng birth certificate sapagkat ito ay katibayan ng pagkakakilanlan at edad ng sinumang nais magpakasal, kung kaya’t ito ay rekisito upang mabigyan ng marriage license ang mga partido na nais magpakasal. Ang kawalan nito ay hindi makakaapekto sa pagiging balido ng kasal. Kung wala nito ay maaari na lamang magpresenta ng sertipikasyon ng pagkakabinyag o sertipikadong kopya nito. Kung wala rin ang mga naturang dokumento ay maaaring magsumite sa local civil registrar ng sinumpaang salaysay tungkol sa edad, buong pangalan, tirahan at nationality ng mga partido at ng kanilang mga magulang, pati na rin ang lugar at petsa ng kapanganakan ng mga partido. Maaari namang hindi na kailanganin ang pagpipresenta ng birth o baptismal certificate kung ang magulang ng partidong walang kaukulang dokumento ay personal na haharap sa local civil registrar at manunumpa na nasa legal na edad ang kanyang anak, o kung makukumbinse ang local civil registrar na batay sa itsura ng partido ay nasa hustong gulang ito. Nakasaad sa ating Family Code:

“Art. 11. Where a marriage license is required, each of the contracting parties shall file separately a sworn application for such license with the proper local civil registrar x x x.

Art. 12. The local civil registrar, upon receiving such application, shall require the presentation of the original birth certificates or, in default thereof, the baptismal certificates of the contracting parties or copies of such documents duly attested by the persons having custody of the originals. These certificates or certified copies of the documents by this Article need not be sworn to and shall be exempt from the documentary stamp tax. The signature and official title of the person issuing the certificate shall be sufficient proof of its authenticity.

If either of the contracting parties is unable to produce his birth or baptismal certificate or a certified copy of either because of the destruction or loss of the original or if it is shown by an affidavit of such party or of any other person that such birth or baptismal certificate has not yet been received though the same has been required of the person having custody thereof at least fifteen days prior to the date of the application, such party may furnish in lieu thereof his current residence certificate or an instrument drawn up and sworn to before the local civil registrar concerned or any public official authorized to administer oaths. Such instrument shall contain the sworn declaration of two witnesses of lawful age, setting forth the full name, residence and citizenship of such contracting party and of his or her parents, if known, and the place and date of birth of such party. The nearest of kin of the contracting parties shall be preferred as witnesses, or, in their default, persons of good reputation in the province or the locality.

The presentation of birth or baptismal certificate shall not be required if the parents of the contracting parties appear personally before the local civil registrar concerned and swear to the correctness of the lawful age of said parties, as stated in the application, or when the local civil registrar shall, by merely looking at the applicants upon their personally appearing before him, be convinced that either or both of them have the required age.

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.

Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.