If you are a Filipino citizen who has ended a marriage abroad, you might be wondering if you are legally free to wed again in your home country.
Under Article 26 of the Family Code of the Philippines, a foreign divorce can be recognized, allowing the Filipino spouse to regain their capacity to remarry.
Understanding Judicial Recognition of Foreign Divorce
Many people mistakenly believe that simply presenting a foreign divorce decree at the Local Civil Registrar is enough to update their marital status.
Once the court issues a Finality of Judgment, you can then annotate your marriage record at the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Who Qualifies for This Process?
This covers two main scenarios:
A marriage between a Filipino remarry after foreign divorce philippines and a foreign national where the foreign spouse initiates the divorce.
Filipinos who have acquired foreign citizenship and subsequently divorced their spouse.
Note: If both parties were Filipino citizens remarry after foreign divorce philippines at the time of the divorce, the Philippine government generally will not recognize the decree, even remarry after foreign divorce philippines if it was obtained in a foreign court.
The Legal Steps remarry after foreign divorce philippines to Getting Remarried
Here is the typical roadmap for legalizing your foreign divorce in the Philippines:
Engaging a competent lawyer is the first step in filing the necessary petition.
Prepare your documents, including the divorce certificate and an official copy of the foreign country's divorce laws.
Authentication/Apostille: Foreign documents must be authenticated or Apostilled in the remarry after foreign divorce philippines country where they were issued to be admissible in Philippine courts.
Court Proceedings: Your lawyer will present evidence to prove the validity of the divorce.
After winning the case, the final step is updating your marriage certificate with a "divorced" annotation.
Moving Forward
By securing a Judicial Recognition, you clear the path for a new beginning without any legal clouds hanging over your future.