# Philippine Passports



## ROUNDHEAD1952 (Aug 18, 2014)

my wife has a Philippine passport in her maiden name and i have a usa passport. should my wife get her passport changed to her married name if we want to travel out of the country or does it make no difference as long as we carry our marriage certificate? thank you


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Short answer, is not required. However, she will need to get the CFO Brief/Certificate before you travel together. If she doesn't do that, you run the risk of her being turned away at the Immigration line in the Airport (not 100% but it does happen regularly). As far as I know, this is only offered in Manila (not really helpful for you in Bohol). Also, make sure that you get the NSO Certified copy of your Marriage Certificate.

Check out this thread for more info http://www.expatforum.com/expats/philippines-expat-forum/430809-oh-joys-bureaucracy.html


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Philippine passport up to date*



ROUNDHEAD1952 said:


> my wife has a Philippine passport in her maiden name and i have a usa passport. should my wife get her passport changed to her married name if we want to travel out of the country or does it make no difference as long as we carry our marriage certificate? thank you


My wife also has a Philippine passport and I the US passport, we married in WA state but she traveled where ever she wanted to and from Guam (was stationed there), shouldn't be any restrictions on her as long as the Philippine passport is up to date.

She did have some issues when she came to see me in the states, after retirement I went back to the US and they gave her trouble one time (lady Immigration officer) for some reason they didn't believe her, that she's coming to see me from the Philippines but she also carries her military ID, it shows i'm retired, after seeing that they left her alone.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

I have heard of young women OFWs travelling alone when going back to Hong Kong after a trip home having problems at immigration.


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

What has been happening (especially at Clark), any filipina travelling with a foreigner gets grilled (under the guise of fighting human trafficking). If the filipina is a partner of the foreigner that she is travelling with, more often than not she is denied exit from the country and has to get the stupid CFO Briefing and Certificate (even though the brief is designed for filipinas marrying foreigners). Before we got married, my wife was stopped twice and grilled for about 15 minutes each time. She and I kept our cool and made it through without getting the CFO Certificate. 

To get the new passport in her married name, the CFO Certificate and NSO Certified copy of the Marriage Certificate are required.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

I would suggest biting the bullet and go through the pain of getting her passport changed. Officially she no longer carries her maiden name so for completeness best change it.


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## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

jon1 said:


> Also, make sure that you get the NSO Certified copy of your Marriage Certificate


jon1, is the NSO Certified copy the one with the blue NSO stamp in the upper left corner? Can you get a copy that ISNT NSO certified??

Also, mine came with the Original Receipt from the NSO. Do we need to keep the OR with it, or its not considered "official" without the receipt? (Like some people consider the LTO Drivers License un-official without the OR).

Thanks!


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

I think the certified copies are on coloured paper, can't remember if it was blue or yellow.


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

HondaGuy said:


> jon1, is the NSO Certified copy the one with the blue NSO stamp in the upper left corner? Can you get a copy that ISNT NSO certified??
> 
> Also, mine came with the Original Receipt from the NSO. Do we need to keep the OR with it, or its not considered "official" without the receipt? (Like some people consider the LTO Drivers License un-official without the OR).
> 
> Thanks!


The Official copy of the NSO document is on Yellow paper (with blue stamp on the left corner). My wife did not have to present the OR with it when applying for her new passport (with her married name).


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## overmyer (Aug 15, 2013)

jon1 said:


> Short answer, is not required. However, she will need to get the CFO Brief/Certificate before you travel together. If she doesn't do that, you run the risk of her being turned away at the Immigration line in the Airport (not 100% but it does happen regularly). As far as I know, this is only offered in Manila (not really helpful for you in Bohol). Also, make sure that you get the NSO Certified copy of your Marriage Certificate.
> 
> Check out this thread for more info http://www.expatforum.com/expats/philippines-expat-forum/430809-oh-joys-bureaucracy.html


It's also available in Cebu!


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

overmyer said:


> It's also available in Cebu!


That is good news as it would be ridiculous to be available only in Manila.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

jon1 said:


> Short answer, is not required. However, she will need to get the CFO Brief/Certificate before you travel together. If she doesn't do that, you run the risk of her being turned away at the Immigration line in the Airport (not 100% but it does happen regularly). As far as I know, this is only offered in Manila (not really helpful for you in Bohol). Also, make sure that you get the NSO Certified copy of your Marriage Certificate.
> 
> Check out this thread for more info http://www.expatforum.com/expats/philippines-expat-forum/430809-oh-joys-bureaucracy.html


My Fiancée and I will be married later this year and we have a trip already scheduled for both Hong Kong and Tokyo for our honeymoon. She already has her passport but obviously it is in her maiden name since we are not yet married.

So that we are not delayed or detained on our honeymoon, all she needs is this CFO Brief/Certificate and an NSO Certified Copy of our Marriage License? My first question is what is the CFO Brief??? And where do you get it? (I have no idea what the initials CFO stand for and it is not previously explained in this thread).

The NSO Certified Copy of the Marriage License I am assuming, is available from the same office where the marriage license is actually issued?


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## esv1226 (Mar 13, 2014)

Cebu Citizen said:


> My Fiancée and I will be married later this year and we have a trip already scheduled for both Hong Kong and Tokyo for our honeymoon. She already has her passport but obviously it is in her maiden name since we are not yet married.


Congratulations!
I do not know the answer to all your questions. Your wife can travel on her Philippine passport in her name, but she needs a visa for Japan. I think she doesn't need one for Hong Kong. Please check these out.


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## jon1 (Mar 18, 2012)

Cebu Citizen said:


> My Fiancée and I will be married later this year and we have a trip already scheduled for both Hong Kong and Tokyo for our honeymoon. She already has her passport but obviously it is in her maiden name since we are not yet married.
> 
> So that we are not delayed or detained on our honeymoon, all she needs is this CFO Brief/Certificate and an NSO Certified Copy of our Marriage License? My first question is what is the CFO Brief??? And where do you get it? (I have no idea what the initials CFO stand for and it is not previously explained in this thread).
> 
> The NSO Certified Copy of the Marriage License I am assuming, is available from the same office where the marriage license is actually issued?


Once you get married you will get a local copy of your Marriage Certificate. It can take several months or more to get an NSO copy. It has to be processed and entered in the National registry. You can apply for a copy online https://www.ecensus.com.ph/Secure/OnlineApplication.aspx

All you really need is the CFO Brief for her to be allowed to travel CFO Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP) | Commission on Filipinos Overseas

The NSO copy of the Marriage Certificate is required for her to change the name in her passport.

Your wife will not need a visa to travel to Hong Kong. Japan is another story. Read thru this Embassy of Japan in the Philippines on what she will have to do.

For a timely honeymoon I recommend your wife traveling with her current passport, a local copy of the marriage certificate and the CFO Certificate. When you return from your travels, at the airport Immigration line, she can request that you be granted a Balikbayan Privilege Visa (one year free for spouse of filipino), you both go to the window together. You will still need an onward ticket when boarding the flight to the Philippines. I also would have it just in case they do not give you the Balikbayan stamp and only the Tourist visa. Balikbayan Privilege This will save you about $550 for the following year as you do not have to do any extensions or apply for an ACR I-Card.


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## HondaGuy (Aug 6, 2012)

I got married in June of this year and the NSO JUST finished the processing of our NSO Marriage Certificate, so plan on 3-4 months to get that. If you get married in the province, it could be longer.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

The CFO (Commission of Filipinos Overseas) google it for information. You need to book the seminar in advance, and can be taken in either Manila or Cebu.


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## Cebu Citizen (Dec 13, 2013)

jon1 said:


> Once you get married you will get a local copy of your Marriage Certificate. It can take several months or more to get an NSO copy. It has to be processed and entered in the National registry. You can apply for a copy online https://www.ecensus.com.ph/Secure/OnlineApplication.aspx
> 
> All you really need is the CFO Brief for her to be allowed to travel CFO Guidance and Counseling Program (GCP) | Commission on Filipinos Overseas
> 
> ...


AWESOME INFORMATION Jon1...THANKS! I have already informed my Fiancée about the CFO website and required seminar and she is scheduling this to be completed before I arrive there later this month.

This should at least complete our requirements for our scheduled honeymoon in Hong Kong but we may end up delaying the Tokyo trip if the Visa process takes too long for her to go with me to Japan.

I guess I am spoiled with the US Policies...once you have your passport, you are ready to travel with the exception of an occasional Visa. Not so with the Philippines...a Passport there means nothing because they are required to provide so much more documentation to travel on even the shortest and simplest trips.

Thanks also on the reminder about my onward flight so I can come back to the Philippines after our honeymoon!


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## yakc130 (Apr 27, 2012)

Cebu Citizen said:


> I guess I am spoiled with the US Policies...once you have your passport, you are ready to travel with the exception of an occasional Visa. Not so with the Philippines...a Passport there means nothing because they are required to provide so much more documentation to travel on even the shortest and simplest trips.


Exactly. Three weeks ago we were coming back to KSA after our vacation in the US. For some reason, we had problems with our ticketing between United and Lufthansa, and our luggage was dumped off in Frankfurt. We had to go to the gate our Lufthansa flight was leaving from to finally get things fixed, but we still had to go retrieve our luggage and get it re-checked onto Luft. 

We get to the area to get the luggage, and German Immigration lets me through, but holds her up for not having a visa. I had to leave her and go do everything alone. All I could do was make her go back to the gate and wait for me. Luckily, we had a five hour layover there. An hour later, I finally showed back up. 

Needless to say, she was _very_ happy. She was petrified about being alone there. 

Our immigration attorney told us to leave her passport in her maiden name for now. She has two. Her original with the US Visa that is from the batch that fell apart years ago (big scandal about it, I hear), and the new one that is not falling apart. 

Because of being in KSA, we keep the wedding papers with us all the time we are together, even in the US.


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