How to Apostille Philippines Documents (Birth Certificates, Marriage Certs, etc.)
How to Apostille Philippine Documents covers everything you need to know about an Apostille cost, timeline, process and Apostille Requirements.
An Apostille authenticates foreign documents so that it can be used in other foreign Apostille countries.
You might need to Apostille your Diploma or Certificate of Enrollment if you are applying for a job abroad.
You might need to Apostille your Birth Certificate.
Or you might need to Apostille your Philippine Statistics Authority CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage Record) if you are getting married abroad.
In this article, I answer common questions such as:
• How to Apostille a document
• What are the Apostille Requirements
• How much is Apostille in Philippines
• Where to get an Apostille in the Philippines
If you have any questions or need help, after reading this article you can contact us.
What is an Apostille?
Basically, an Apostille says that a document is authentic.
The DFA has strict requirements to authenticate the signature of the Issuing Officer if it’s a government document.
An Apostille authenticates a document by verifying that the person or institution who issued a document is known to the government of another country, that the person or institution has the power to issue that document and that the document is authentic or genuine.
In today’s world it is very easy fake documents.
To make sure that a document is real, foreign governments and institutions require it be Apostilled.
You are most likely to be asked to Apostille Birth Certificate, CENOMARs, Diplomas and Affidavits among many others.
What is the difference between an Apostille v’s Red Ribbon?
The difference between an Apostille vs Red-Ribbon is how the documents are authenticated and the appearance of the authentication.
The Red Ribbon was the previous way of authenticating a document.
Apostille makes authenticating documents simpler.
Apostille replaced the Red Ribbon requirement when the Philippines joined the Hague Convention on Apostille.
When the Philippines first joined the Hague Convention on Apostille, people were allowed to continue to use their Red-Ribboned documents for a brief period. Now however, an Apostille is required if the destination country is also a Hague Convention member.
On the 14th May 2019 the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs also stopped issuing Authentication Certificates for documents, switching to Apostille instead.
An Apostille has a gold seal, a QR code, a number and the signature of the Authenticating Officer.
A Red Ribbon document has two red ribbons on the side with a gold seal down below.
A Red-Ribboned document typically took longer to accomplish than an Apostille does. The process included going to the foreign country’s consulate in the Philippines for them to certify the document as well.
An Apostille is a bit simpler (whew!) which is a relief if you are going to do it yourself. The Apostille Requirements are covered further on in this article
What countries accept an Apostille from the Philippines?
Most countries who are part of the Hague Convention accept an Apostille from the Philippines with the exception of:
1. Greece
2. Austria
3. Germany
4. Finland
For the above countries – and any other countries which are not listed on the accepted countries list, you will have to go through the old Red Ribbon process.
The old Red Ribbon process starts by getting Certification from the relevant government agency or office and then getting Authentication by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. After the Authentication by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, you must then taking your documents to the foreign countries Embassy for Red-ribbon or “legalization”.
You can check below for all the countries where Philippine Apostilles are accepted.
Which government agency provides an Apostille in the Philippines?
An Apostille can be done at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and its satellite branches.
The DFA will only Apostille documents that are created in the Philippines.
Philippine Apostilled documents can be used abroad if the receiving country is also a member of the Hague Convention on Apostille
Examples of documents created in the Philippines would be PSA documents, contracts and educational documents from schools in the Philippines.
Documents created abroad will NOT be Apostilled at the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs.
So, you will need to get your divorce papers Apostilled in the country where the divorce was issued if you need them for use in the Philippines such as in a Recognition of Foreign Divorce case.
The Philippine DFA will only able to authenticate a document issued or made in the Philippines.
The rule is that the country where the document was created is also the only place where the document can be Apostilled.
What documents can you Apostille?
Below is a quick list of documents that will most likely need an Apostille. Commonly people are required to Apostille Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates and Death Certificates.
Remember that an Apostille is the end of the process.
Before a document can be Apostilled, you might have to go through several steps first.
Different documents types have different Apostille Requirements, so check these first
1. Philippines Statistic Authority/National Statistic Office (PSA/NSO) documents such as Birth, Marriage, CENOMAR or Certificate of Singleness, Death Certificates
• Original documents are required
• New records should first be authenticated with the Philippines Statistic Authority (PSA)
2. Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) documents such as ID renewals, PRC Board Ratings, Certifications and Change of Status
• Certified True Copies from the Professional Regulation Commission
3. School documents such as Transcript of Records, Diplomas, Certificate of Enrollment, Honorable Dismissal, Transfer of Credentials, Course Descriptions. Certified True Copies Required as well as:
• Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) CAV also needed if from a Tec Voc course
• Certificate of Higher Education (CHED) documents will require a Certification, Authentication and Verification (CAV) if document is from private university/college while state run colleges can provide their own CAV
• Department of Education DEPED Regional Office CAV also needed if from elementary or high school
4.Employment Certificates/Training, etc
• Notarized document with document attached
• Certificate of Authority for a Notarial Act (CANA) from the Regional Trial Court
5. Driver’s License – Certification from the Land Transportation Office (LTO)
6. Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines – Certification from CAAP
7. National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for use abroad – Original document with dry seal
8. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or Philippine National Police (PNP) – Original document
9. Barangay Clearances – Mayor’s Clearance that has jurisdiction over the barangay
10. All documents issued by a government entity – Certified True Copy from the office that issued it.
11. Court Decisions – Certified True Copy from the court
12. Notarized documents – Certificate of Authority for a Notarial Act CANA from the Regional Trial Court
How do I prepare my documents for Apostille?
Each type of document has different supporting documents that should be submitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) along with the document for Apostille, such as a CANA for contracts and CAVs for school documents.
The DFA will only Apostilles documents which have complete supporting documents and will turn you away if something is missing.
The DFA requires these supporting documents because it serves as added verification that the document is authentic.
Let me give you two examples:
Apostille Requirements: Birth Certificates
To Apostille Birth Certificate first order a Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) Birth Certificate. Then go through the Apostille process at the Department of Foreign Affairs. You may need to go through other steps before the Apostille stage if the copy is from the Local Civil Registrar (LCR).
Philippine Statistics Authority documents can be quickly easily Apostilled
Apostille Requirements: Transcript of Records.
You will get a Certified True Copy of the Transcript of Records from a private school.
You will also need to get a Certificate, Authentication and Verification (CAV) from the DepEd.
This is basically a manual process where you line up at the DepEd to get the CAV.
Finally, you can get an Apostille at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Different documents will have different supporting documents, which I’ve listed in the section before this one.
Check to make sure that you have all the supporting documents to meet the Apostille requirements before you go to the DFA, because they can reject you otherwise.
What are the Apostille requirements?
The DFA Apostille requirements are pretty straightforward.
The DFA will require IDs and a Special Power of Attorney if relevant, PLUS all the supporting documents I mentioned in the section that lists the documents eligible for Apostille.
SPAs need to be specific and there are several requirements
Just to be clear though, here it is:
1. Special Power of Attorney (SPA) if you will be using an Authorized Representative.
• Make sure that the SPA has the name of the Authorized Representative and is specific that it includes Apostilling the document.
• The SPA should come from the parents if the document belongs to a minor.
2. Photocopy of the owner’s ID
Make sure that the owner’s ID has a signature and is from the list of IDs accepted
3. Photocopy and original of Authorized Representative’s ID.
How much is an Apostille in the Philippines?
Apostille fees are not expensive but when you add in the time and how manual the process is, then costs can increase.
The Apostille itself doesn’t cost too much but when you add in all the additional work required to coordinate with the DFA and get the complete supporting documents, the cost in time and effort is a lot.
Apostille fees are:
If you need it within a day, you will need to pay Php200.
If you can wait 3 days, you only need to pay Php100.
But always factor in that you need at least 2 days at the Department of Foreign Affairs and then all the work required to get the supporting documents.
As an example: Some colleges will charge a few hundred pesos to release a Transcript of Records and most will require you to physically go to the campus to get it. Then, you’ll still need to get a Certificate, Authentication and Verification from the CHED – and this again is a manual process with travel time and costs.
If you go yourself, remember that it’s really the fact that it takes time that makes it such a hassle. There aren’t many online options so make sure you also budget time to do this, and not just money.
You will most likely spend at least 2 days processing and following up at the DFA office you submitted the document to.
And don’t forget, if you will be asking someone to get the document Apostilled on your behalf, you need to factor in the time and cost of getting a Special Power of Attorney (SPA).
Usually people who ask someone else to get the document are abroad and cannot travel themselves. So they will also need to factor in the time and cost of a trip to the Philippine Embassy to get the SPA notarized.
How do I get my documents Apostilled?
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) receives a lot of Apostille requests so the good news is the Apostille process is fairly streamlined. That is, IF you have got all the documents and met all the Apostille requirements!
You must make sure you have the right documents and the right requirements.
For example: You need to Apostille birth certificate, if the requirement is an original Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) document, DO NOT submit a photocopy of that document. Even if that’s all you have.
You will need to get a new copy/Certified True Copy of the document in order to secure an Apostille Birth Certificate.
Otherwise, there are 2 main steps to getting an Apostille:
1. Go to the Department of Foreign Affairs and submit the Apostille request and pay for it.
2. Pick up the Apostilled document.
Remember, before you go, make sure that you have met all the requirements and have all the supporting documents.
Get your appointment with the DFA authentication section by emailing them.
Step 1. Go to the Department of Foreign Affairs and submit the Apostille request and pay for it.
I usually go the DFA at Aseana so I’ll walk you through that process.
1. Get a queueing number from the Information Window.
2. Fill out the Authentication Application Form (I generally fill it out before I go just because I’m OC that way.)
3. Submit your documents to the Processing Window. You will need to submit the document itself and your ID and Special Power of Attorney (SPA) if you are an Authorized Representative.
4. Pay your fee at the cashier and keep your receipt somewhere safe. You will need this receipt for Step 2.
A man waiting for his name to be called in the releasing section to collect his Apostille Birth Certificate
Step 2. Pick up the Apostilled document.
1. Go back to the same Department of Foreign Affairs office on your scheduled date and time. Bring with you your receipt and your ID.
2. Drop your Official Receipt off at the drop box.
3. Wait for your name to be called from the Releasing window (This is all in one big room by the way.)
4. Receive your document and double check to make sure everything is accurate.
Where can I Apostille a document?
I go to the Department of Foreign Affairs Aseana branch myself.
But there are 7 other DFA offices that you can go to for an Apostille.
A lot of them are in malls, so you can even grab a bite along the way!
Always eat before you go to the DFA to avoid starvation if the line is long.
The DFA branches are:-
1. DFA CO-Northeast at Ali Mall Government Center Level 2
2. DFA CO-East on the 7th Floor of Building C in SM Megamall
3. DFA CO-West on the 5th Floor SM City Manila
4. DFA CO-South on the 4th Floor of Alabang Town Center
5. DFA CO Pampanga at Robinson’s Place
6. DFA CO Davao on the 3F SM Davao
7. DFA CO Cebu on the 4th Level of Pacific Mall in Mandaue City Cebu
I have also been to the SM Megamall and the Cubao branch and it’s a fairly standard process.
How to get an Apostille: Summary
If you need an official document for use abroad, you probably will need that document Apostilled.
The most common documents I get asked about is how to Apostille Birth Certificate?
(Or how to Apostille Marriage Certificates. Basically, a lot of PSA documents).
You will usually need a document Apostilled for employment or immigration purposes (as well as other uses).
You can still get documents Apostilled if you are living abroad. You will just need to ask a relative to do this for you or engage a courier. Remember though that you will need to give your relative or courier a Special Power of Attorney (SPA) and then have that SPA notarized at a Philippine Embassy first.
This requires you to get an SPA properly prepared. Some SPAs are actually rejected if not properly prepared.
Atty. Francesco C. Britanico, FCB Law Office
Lawyers In the Philippines
Can i only apostille my psa and cenomar?
Yes.
Hi in Cagayan de Oro DFA office, it takes 2 weeks after you sunmitted your documents. I guess it’s true to other DFA satelite offices… Just an FYI…
Hi atty. I’m applying for spousal visa to usa and do I still have to apostille my birthcertificate, our psa marriage certicate and my husband’s passed wife death certificate? Thank you.
We cannot speak for the requirements of US immigration. You would be best served checking with them.
Good Day!
I would like to ask.
Is it possible if I would directly hand my documents to CHED for CAV instead of waiting for my school? Since they have released my documents naman.
I just graduated last month and I am planning to CAV my documents such as; certificate of Graduation, Diploma and Transcript of Record for a work abroad. But my school is very slow (private college) that they have yet to send the list of the graduating students to CHED because they are going to send it by bulk daw but they also said na it would took almost a semester to submit the names and they would not allow an individual process (really crazy!). My days are numbered because I already booked a flight this September.
Thank you po!
Hi, my fiancee and I are getting married in the Philippines. We live in Washington state and per US embassy in the Philippines they no longer notarize “Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage” due to pandemic-related issues and can be notarized locally in the Philippines. My question is , is it OK to get this document here in the USA and have it apostilled , send document to the Philippines for marriage license? Just want to make sure Apostilled “Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage” is acceptable by PSA .
Yes, that should be accepted, but you may want to first consult on this question with the local civil registrar’s office from which you intend to apply for a marriage license.
Hi, I have an authenticated Birth certificate, do I need to get a new one from the PSA?
Hi. I just want to ask because me and my husband bought a house in the Philippines and the bank is asking for SPA. I live in iceland and we don’t have philippine embassy here, the bank will send me the spa format then i will fill it out. Im thinkibg if apostilled will be enough instead of red ribbon?
Yes, that would be enough.
this is good information and i know now how to apply in apostilli… thank you for this info.
Hi! How about po ‘yung 7-year old sister ko kukuhanan ko po sana ng apostille, nasa Dubai siya ngayon and inutos sakin ng mother ko lakarin ito. Confused po ako what requirements should I prepare po for it.
This depends on what document you want to get. If you need to apostille her birth certificate, present your own birth certificate to the DFA as well to show proof that you are her brother.
i wanted to send my Muslim divorce certificate to be apostilled (divorce certificate issued in Zamboanga Philippines), what are the requirements?
I have friend who needs a death certificate Apostilles for USA. As I understand from your site, I would first need a SPA to obtain a death certificate then to obtain the death certificate and then to Apostille. Is the certificate in English or must I arrange to have it translated and submitted with the request?
The certificate is in English as that is an official language of the Philippines.
This is really helpful. Thank you very much sir!
Do prenuptial agreements executed by filipino citizens abroad and notarized need apostille?
If it is for a marriage in the Philippines, it would require that to be registered with the marriage certificate. It would be best that you consult with the local civil registrar with which the marriage will be registered.
Hello
I’m a US citizen and my siblings are planning to sell our property in the Philippines. We have a SPA drawn and they advice we have to go to Philippines embassy here to have it “red ribbon”
I live in Florida and I have to travel to Washington DC the closest Philippines embassy and want to make sure
You may consider having the document notarized by a notary in Florida then have the document apostilled by the Office of the Secretary of State of Florida. The apostille process can usually be done by mailing the notarized document.
Hi my name is azeez indian national i married a filipina in 2018 we are living in uae. We already have cenomar paper we need to verified from dfa. My question is we will get red ribbon or apostille?
Apostille because the Department of Foreign Affairs no longer issues red ribbons for the authentication of documents.
How about Atty. the transfer of ownership like a car .For an instance, the car was named after and I need to transfer it under the Name of my husband and will be bound to abroad. Kindly give me an example of SPA Content so that I can have a correct content to process and will not waste a money to reject in DFA for Apostille process. Thank you so much
Hi Atty.! I’m planning to work in Turkey. Can I still use my authenticated documents with red ribbon in that country? Or can the DFA still apostillize my old red-ribboned documents?
This is probably best addressed to the authorities in Turkey since the documents are to be used there, or to the Turkish embassy.
My wife and I got married virtually, legally, in the USA and we have an Apostille. She has it and took it to the PSA in Cagayan and they are telling her they can’t use it, that she has to go to Manilla. Is that true? Or are they just being ignorant to the law of using an Apostille?
Regards,
Joshua
They may be telling her that she has to file a Report of Marriage abroad, which is a distinct document for purposes of the Philippine civil registry system. We cannot say without more information, but she could ask the local civil registry what they mean as well as call the national office of the PSA for guidance.
Hi, Good day! I’m in USA and I need my birth certificate to be Apostille before I can use it. What are the process to do it since I can’t sign a special power of attorney for my mom to do it n my behalf? TIA
You will need to sign a special power of attorney to authorize someone to process this for you. You can execute this SPA abroad, including at the Philippine consulate of the country where you are located.
I am applying for a student visa for Portugal and the Consul stated that the documents issued here in the Philippines need to be apostilled. Does this include the bank certificate issued by my local bank here in the Philippines, as well as my ITR? Thank you!
This question is best addressed to the consul as it relates to their requirements rather than the Philippines’.
Can I processed my sister’s documents for apostille, she is in Korea, with just a simple SPA not authorize in the Philippine Embassy?
It depends on what the documents are, but better she executes a SPA at the Philippine embassy.
Is Affidavit of Support to travel need to be apostilled? The affidavit certifies that the sister of the affiant shoulders the expenses of the said affiant at the destination country.
This would depend on the requirements of the particular destination country.
Gud am Sir/Mam, is it required that documents apotille be attested so that it is proven not fake. I have experienced that days ago when my daughter marriage certificate was handed back to me for attestation from DFA – Dubai Embassy. Thank you.
It may have to be apostilled if it is to be used outside the Philippines.
I’m here in Thailand and wanta to get married here, Can I as somebody to have my documents apostille on my behalf especially I could not sign a SPA because I’m here Thailand.
Send us an email at admin@lawyerphilippines.org
We may be able to help you.
Can i appostollize my deped appontment?
Hi Atty.! My sister in law, who is in Ireland, applied for a CAR loan her in the Philippines and appointed her mother (my mother in law) through an SPA (which she executed in Ireland) to sign all the documents on her behalf. The bank required my sis in law to have the notarized SPA apostilled in Ireland. The DFA there rejected and stated that it is a mere car loan and that apostille is no longer required. Is it true that the notarized SPA do not need the apostille? Because the bank that extended the car loan told us otherwise.
If it was notarized at the Philippine consulate, an apostille is no longer required.
Does red ribbon can no longer be use? To those who have red ribbon previously is it a must to get apostille?
Those documents should still be valid provided that they do not state an expiration date.
If po ba testa certificate ang TOR anu pong requirements ang kailangan?kailangan ko pa po ba humingi ng CAV from my tesda SCHOOL saka po ung high school diploma ko?thank u po
The CAV for TESDA comes from the TESDA office. CAV for high school diploma from the Department of Education.
Im here at mindanao.. how can i proccess the birth certificate of my mother . Is there any way not to go there. Just scan it and sent it to the embassy .. ITS JUST BIRTH CERT. TO BE RED RIBBON
This is not enough information for us to comment. Send us an email at admin@lawyerphilippines.org if you would like to clarify. Thank you.
Hi. May I know if an Extrajudicial Settlement of an estate need to be notarized (have a red ribbon) abroad before sending the document back here?
I do not know if the convention re Apostile includes Extrajudicial Settlement documents.
An extrajudicial settlement executed abroad should be notarized either at the Philippine consulate or notarized by a foreign notary then apostilled.
Need pa po ba ng xerox copy o original documents po ung iseseal
Photocopies cannot be apostilled. They have to be original or certified copies.
My american citizen aunt passed away in the u.s. Her bank in the u.s. is asking for a letter from Filipino citizen siblings who are all beneficiaries in order foe the funds to be released to tgem. Does this still need an apostille? How about CANA?
This rather depends on what the US bank requires or will accept.