Dear Attorney,

I recently submitted all the required documents for the Report of Marriage (ROM) to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Can you please advise me on how many months it typically takes before I can obtain a copy of my marriage certificate from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)? I’m trying to manage my expectations regarding the waiting period, and I would appreciate your guidance on this matter.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen

Insights:

The process of obtaining a PSA marriage certificate after submitting your Report of Marriage (ROM) documents to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) can vary in terms of the timeline. On average, it may take around two to three months for the PSA to release the certificate, but this is not guaranteed and can fluctuate depending on several factors.

Verification and Processing at the DFA:
After you submit your documents for ROM, the DFA verifies and processes the paperwork before forwarding it to the PSA. This step alone can take several weeks, depending on the volume of applications being handled at the time. Typically, the DFA processing period ranges from one to two months.
Forwarding to the PSA:
Once the DFA completes its end of the process, the documents are sent to the PSA for registration and encoding into the national civil registry. This can take additional weeks, especially if there are backlogs at the PSA. Delays can occur if there are incomplete or incorrectly filled-out documents, which may require additional clarification or submission from your side.
Follow-ups and Expedite Requests:
It’s worth noting that some individuals have experienced faster processing times by regularly following up with both the DFA and PSA. In some cases, those in need of urgent PSA marriage certificates for travel or legal purposes may be able to request expedited handling, but this is often subject to the discretion of the agencies involved.

Given these variables, it’s wise to anticipate a waiting period of about three months after filing with the DFA before your PSA marriage certificate becomes available. To avoid further delays, it’s important to ensure that all your submitted documents are complete and accurate when filing with the DFA.