# CFO in Manilia



## colemanlee (Nov 17, 2014)

Here's the deal....My wife went to pick up her passport in her maiden name, which she applied for before Yolanda...when she went to pick it up she wanted to change it into her married name...she was told she had to attend the CFO class..so far no problem....so on another forum I am on there has been a lot of discussion about the Cebu office for getting your CFO. It seems that the counselors there frequently require paperwork other than what is mentioned in the "rules" like the Affidavit in lieu which is the certificate of no marriage. 
So knowing that most here are in Luzon, I thought I would ask if you have had any experience with the Manila Office....I cant for the life of me figure out why if you had a NSO certified copy on your marriage license anybody would want the paperwork you had to present to get married....as you are legally married now..
My wife can fly to Manila just as easily as Cebu so if the office there is not so confrontational that might be the best bet. If any of you guys/gals have had experience dealing with the CFO we would love to hear what you had to go through.
Thanks Lee


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

My wife attended the CFO brief in Manila last year for the same purpose (change her passport to her married name). She only brought her NSO certified Marriage Certificate. The seminars were limited by nationality, 25 per day for the US spouses. No appointment, first come, first served. It took her several hours to go thru the process and get her CFO certificate. They were professional and didn't give her any of the old wives tales that I had previously heard about. 

They mistakenly told her that she needed to get some sticker (after she got her visa) which would require another visit. This was for spousal or fiance' visas. Not for tourist visas (which is what she got). I see this as another stupid piece of misinformation. The certificate should be enough alone.


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

question, colemanlee:

did you marry in PH or overseas ?


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

I have not heard that the Cebu office requires "extra" paperwork... but I now know they do!

We flew to Cebu for the seminar (my wife went to seminar, I went to mall - they would not even allow me in the building) and they threatened to send her home because she did not have my divorce papers from the US. She insisted that it was not on the required document list - we had printed it out, among other things. And she said since we had the NSO marriage license that we already proved to the government that I was properly divorced...

They acted as if they were granting her a huge favor and "allowed" her to stay. 

Welcome to the Philippines


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## colemanlee (Nov 17, 2014)

ecureilx said:


> question, colemanlee:
> 
> did you marry in PH or overseas ?


Married here, have NSO certified copy of license....Wife was told that BECAUSE she married foreigner she had to go to the CFO Class to get her passport, they will not give her a passport with out the certificate.

We only wanted the passport so we could travel in Asia, just so I could show her other countries...We are going to live here forever 

But from what I can tell you only need to do that if your going to the states to live


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

colemanlee said:


> Married here, have NSO certified copy of license....Wife was told that BECAUSE she married foreigner she had to go to the CFO Class to get her passport, they will not give her a passport with out the certificate.
> 
> We only wanted the passport so we could travel in Asia, just so I could show her other countries...We are going to live here forever
> 
> But from what I can tell you only need to do that if your going to the states to live


The CFO Class is primarily geared around the fiance and spouse visas for marrying a foreigner.

The Pampanga DFA (Marquis mall) turned my wife away without the CFO certificate. So the biggest delay was getting the NSO Certified MC, then she went to Manila for the CFO Class and Certificate and then back to DFA Pampanga to apply for her new passport. It's all a PITA and as everything else here, over complicated.


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## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

My wife and I were married last year and she is going in a few days to get her passport changed to her married name. Even though we've been together for several years and she's been living with me here in Bahrain, I told her the DFA would probably make her go take the CFO class. I'll let everyone know what happens.


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

HondaGuy said:


> My wife and I were married last year and she is going in a few days to get her passport changed to her married name. Even though we've been together for several years and she's been living with me here in Bahrain, I told her the DFA would probably make her go take the CFO class. I'll let everyone know what happens.


Where you married in Bahrain ?

I am keen to know the answers as well


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## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

ecureilx said:


> Where you married in Bahrain ?


No, we were married in QC.


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

HondaGuy said:


> No, we were married in QC.


Thanks ..


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## EuroBob (Feb 23, 2015)

My wife has obtained a couple of Philippine passports in the last four years without having attended a CFO lecture. One passport was to reflect her maiden name, after having obtained an anullment, while the second was to reflect her married name after we married.

Now, we are traveling back to the Philippines and she is under the impression that she needs to attend a CFO lecture. This is according to some government official who responded to an inquiry from my wife's sister. The government website also indicates that documents and stickers associated with the CFO should be shown at a Philippine international Airport before departure.
Fiancee, Spouses and Other Partners of Foreign Nationals | Commission on Filipinos Overseas

I wonder if there might have been a miscommunication between the sister and the government because I would not have thought this would be an issue until my wife tried to get another passport.
I am not sure why it has not been an issue when obtaining two passports in the last four years and traveling in and out of the Philippines during that time.
I also do not appreciate the rational behind a certificate and sticker from CFO for people who have already traveled overseas to live with their spouse. I thought the CFO was to educate the women regarding dangers of human trafficking
Has anybody tried to obtain a certificate and sticker from CFO when NOT pursuing a new passport?


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

EuroBob said:


> I wonder if there might have been a miscommunication between the sister and the government because I would not have thought this would be an issue until my wife tried to get another passport.


welcome to Philippines.

Miscommunications are the norm here .. 

Dept A will say something, Dept B will say otherwise, and Dept C will refute A and B and say something new

Alas, most of the instructions are never given in writing, to dispute, so if it doesn't cost too much money or time, just go with the flow and make the respective department happy!


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## EuroBob (Feb 23, 2015)

ecureilx said:


> welcome to Philippines.
> 
> Miscommunications are the norm here ..
> 
> ...


Grin- I have just finished emailing the CFO and the Philippine Embassy in Oslo (Department-A and Department-B). I will try to let you know their responses.

In the course of the last four years, I am sure my wife has flown in and out of the Philippines about 8 times, through both Clark and the Manila International airport.

I probably just opened a can of worms by asking about something which has not been a problem in the past. 
We are traveling next week to the Pampanga area, so I imagine during the course of our visit she will try to clean-up this issue up and get her GCC and sticker from CFO.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

The problem my wife and I are having is that the Passport Office is requiring my wife to attend the CFO class and receive a CFO Brief which is for people traveling overseas or Filipino Nationals wanting to work overseas. The CFO Office will not process my wife's paperwork until she has a visa. We cannot get her a Visa because we are not traveling anywhere!

This is a totally ridiculous requirement because the CFO Office does not know where we might wish to travel and so many places do not even require my wife to have a Visa such as Hong Kong...we missed our honeymoon to Hong Kong because she was unable to travel. And now we are not even trying to travel anywhere...we only want to change her name.

We only desire to change her name into her new married name for identification purposes. I have tried to speak to a supervisor and they wont even talk to me. We are finding it very difficult to do anything from purchasing land to opening a joint bank account in her correct married name all because her old ID's and Passport have her single unmarried name.

It was so easy for her to apply for and get her initial/original Passport but changing her name is becoming a monumental nightmare.

Any suggestions? I have thought about just wasting the money and apply for any cheap Visa to anywhere just to get around the ridiculous CFO requirements for changing her name. But then I am afraid that might complicate things and bring up new ridiculous requirements.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

Evidently the CFO Office does not even know or understand what CFO stands for, (Commission for Filipino's Overseas), which was primarily designed to assist Philippine people when they are applying to go abroad and work in a foreign country and to help keep young people from being sucked unknowingly into a human trafficking situation.

It has nothing to do with...nor should it have anything to do with a married woman simply desiring to change her name after marriage! Maybe we should just pretend that my wife does not have a Passport and just go and apply for a new one...


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Or just report it as lost and ask for a replacement....


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

Cebu Citizen said:


> Evidently the CFO Office does not even know or understand what CFO stands for, (Commission for Filipino's Overseas), which was primarily designed to assist Philippine people when they are applying to go abroad and work in a foreign country and to help keep young people from being sucked unknowingly into a human trafficking situation.
> 
> It has nothing to do with...nor should it have anything to do with a married woman simply desiring to change her name after marriage! Maybe we should just pretend that my wife does not have a Passport and just go and apply for a new one...


Yes. It is a stupid requirement... but a requirement. And the craziest part is no matter where you live in the PI's you have to go to either Cebu or Manila to get it. all we needed was a name change too.

I enjoyed the few days we spent in Cebu... but I would rather spend my vacation money going to somewhere of my choice ha ha 

welcome to the Philippines.


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

Cebu Citizen said:


> Maybe we should just pretend that my wife does not have a Passport and just go and apply for a new one...


I believe you're joking, but if you did you'd probably have to forget ever getting her to the US if discovered.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

HondaGuy said:


> My wife and I were married last year and she is going in a few days to get her passport changed to her married name. Even though we've been together for several years and she's been living with me here in Bahrain, I told her the DFA would probably make her go take the CFO class. I'll let everyone know what happens.




I am curious how you got your Filipina wife out of the country, traveling as a wife to a foreigner, without getting her CFO Brief? They require every married woman to get a CFO Brief but it seems you managed to fly under the radar somehow. I cannot get the CFO Office to even listen to the concerns of my wife and I. They keep telling my wife she needs to get a Visa in order to get her CFO Brief but we are not traveling anywhere...we only want to get her name changed for ID purposes and nothing more.


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## EuroBob (Feb 23, 2015)

Cebu Citizen said:


> I am curious how you got your Filipina wife out of the country, traveling as a wife to a foreigner, without getting her CFO Brief? They require every married woman to get a CFO Brief but it seems you managed to fly under the radar somehow. I cannot get the CFO Office to even listen to the concerns of my wife and I. They keep telling my wife she needs to get a Visa in order to get her CFO Brief but we are not traveling anywhere...we only want to get her name changed for ID purposes and nothing more.


My Filipina wife twice changed her passport without having ever been to a CFO briefing.
On both occasions, my wife was working through the Emabassy of the Philippines, in Malaysia. (Thank goodness they did not tells us to fly to Manila to attend a CFO briefing.)
So perhaps HondaGuy's wife also worked through a Philippine Embassy to obtain a new passport and when one works through an embassy a CFO briefing is NOT required.
What I cannot figure out is why my wife was able to visit the Philippines so many times without being stopped upon departure from the Philippines for failure to have attended a CFO briefing.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

jon1 said:


> Or just report it as lost and ask for a replacement....




Good idea...I'll have to give that some thought. My luck it would back fire in my face.


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## Nickleback99 (Aug 6, 2011)

Cebu Citizen said:


> Good idea...I'll have to give that some thought. My luck it would back fire in my face.


I know,someone very close who Lost theirs because the agency she got job thru stole it from her soon as she landed at airport. She got a new one. When we got married, she got it changed to her married name no problem. I think though she did CFO at some pt, either for marriage or the Spousal Visa departure, I just don't remember. She talked enough Filipinas to know each step and other than running round Manila few days, getting NBI cleatance, etc. Playing hurry up and wait game, she got it all done in reasonable amount of time as I recall


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

Does anybody {know} what exactly the CFO seminar includes, other than stereotyping foreigners (from what I was made to understand before .. ) 

Got this reply, when I enquired about a couple, married in Malaysia, three years ago and having a child ..

Dont' ask the logic about attending CFO .. 

_Thank you for your e-mail. Please be informed that all Filipino spouses and partners of foreign nationals are required to undergo the Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP) at the CFO. Attendance to the GCP requires online appointment and your wife may reserve a slot via CFO ONLINE GCP APPOINTMENT. After attending the GCP she will receive her guidance and counseling certificate which she needs to present to the Department of Foreign Affairs when she applies for change of status on her passport.

For further inquiries, you may call the CFO at 02-5524700.

Thank you and best regards.

Very truly yours,

Mhin Gunabe
Emigrant Services Officer II
Migrant Integration and Education Division_


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## EuroBob (Feb 23, 2015)

EuroBob said:


> Grin- I have just finished emailing the CFO and the Philippine Embassy in Oslo (Department-A and Department-B). I will try to let you know their responses.
> 
> In the course of the last four years, I am sure my wife has flown in and out of the Philippines about 8 times, through both Clark and the Manila International airport.
> 
> ...



BOTH the Embassy of the Philippines in Oslo and the CFO wrote back and said my wife must attend the course the next time she visits the Philippines.
The embassy said that immigration should have stopped her each time she tried to depart the Phillipines.

Nobody discussed why a citizen who is already living outside of the Philippines should need to take a course to prepare her for culture shock and educate her about human trafficking.

Nobody responded to why we were able to get my wife a new passport , on two occasions, without this issue being mentioned.

We have made an appointment for my wife to attend before she departs from the Philippines on her current visit.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

simonsays said:


> Does anybody {know} what exactly the CFO seminar includes, other than stereotyping foreigners (from what I was made to understand before .. )
> 
> Got this reply, when I enquired about a couple, married in Malaysia, three years ago and having a child ..
> 
> ...




Basically the CFO Program was designed and originally intended to protect Filipino citizens when traveling overseas for work and also to protect young women from getting sucked into human trafficking rings for international prostitution.

The seminars are actually pretty fair about what they tell them about being married to a foreigner. They cover interracial marriages and how different cultures can clash at times, they talk about how difficult it can be living so far away form your family and they teach the girls how to be certain they are not being targeted for sex trafficking, etc. The program is actually well thought out but my beef with the CFO Program is that all my wife wants to do is change her name officially on her passport into her married name and we are still fighting with this old hag of a lady who should not even be working there in the first place. My wife ruffled her feathers and now the lady won't do anything to assist my wife and they will not assign my wife a new counselor...she is stuck with the B*T*H!

So, here we are...six month later and more than two dozen trips to the CFO Office and still NO CERTIFICATE! I am thinking at this point it would be easier to have my name changed to my wife's last name...lol!


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## simonsays (Feb 11, 2009)

Cebu Citizen said:


> Basically the CFO Program was designed and originally intended to protect Filipino citizens when traveling overseas for work and also to protect young women from getting sucked into human trafficking rings for international prostitution.
> 
> So now CFO is protecting filipinos from vile foreigners who may marry the precious women ?  I get it ..
> 
> ...


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## colemanlee (Nov 17, 2014)

I think we can all agree on somethings...and from what Ive seen both here and other forums this is what I come up with
Even though somethings like name change on a passport seems ridiculous to us, it would seem that you have to do it....but that applies to a lot of things here..
Go to Manila CFO, not Cebu...another forum I am on is mostly folks from Cebu, seems from what I read that the CFO in Cebu bends over backwards to make it hard or more difficult and can be very adversarial ...


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

simonsays said:


> Oh, wait, I thought once the seminar is done, that's over...do they have a test ? or assessment ?
> 
> 
> > There are five steps to the entire CFO Process:
> ...


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

FINALLY!!!!! After a very long and drawn out process and continuously complaining to the counselor's supervisor, my wife was allowed to go and speak directly with the supervisor and within about an hour, she had her CFO Certificate in hand. I was surprised that they allowed my wife to skip over her counselors head and go speak with a supervisor in the first place. Now that she has the CFO Certificate, we can now begin the next, (long drawn out), process of actually having her Passport name change...and then I understand my wife has to go back to the CFO Office again to have the CFO Stamp placed in her new Passport.

Life is certainly fun here...lol!


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Cebu Citizen said:


> FINALLY!!!!! After a very long and drawn out process and continuously complaining to the counselor's supervisor, my wife was allowed to go and speak directly with the supervisor and within about an hour, she had her CFO Certificate in hand. I was surprised that they allowed my wife to skip over her counselors head and go speak with a supervisor in the first place. Now that she has the CFO Certificate, we can now begin the next, (long drawn out), process of actually having her Passport name change...and then I understand my wife has to go back to the CFO Office again to have the CFO Stamp placed in her new Passport.
> 
> Life is certainly fun here...lol!


Unless you are doing a spouse or fiance' visa do not bother going back. My wife was told the same BS (even though she had a US Tourist Visa) and it was not required. You are looking for ASEAN nation entries and all you need is the certificate and no stupid stamps in her passport. Keep that with her on your honeymoon and you will be good.

F*** those dumb a**es in the CFO...

Just do the DFA process for her passport and you should be good in about a month!


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## bidrod (Mar 31, 2015)

The CFO Stamp is only needed if your spouse is immigrating to your country. The certification form is used for travel on temporary visitor visas.





















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