1) What “legally married” means in Philippine law

A person is “legally married” when a valid marriage exists under Philippine law (or a marriage abroad recognized as valid), and it has not been dissolved or nullified in a way recognized in the Philippines.

A. Essential and formal requisites (Family Code framework)

Philippine marriage law is built around two sets of requirements:

Essential requisites (e.g., legal capacity of the parties, and consent freely given).
Formal requisites (e.g., authority of the solemnizing officer, a valid marriage license unless exempt, and a marriage ceremony).

A key point for “checking status”: a marriage can be valid even if paperwork is missing or delayed, but proving it becomes harder without civil registry records.

B. “Still married” even with separation or pending cases

People often confuse these:

De facto separation (living apart) → does not end a marriage.
Legal separation → spouses may live apart and property relations may be adjusted, but the bond remains; no remarriage.
Annulment / declaration of nullity → ends the marriage in a way that permits remarriage only after the proper judicial process and registration/annotation.
Foreign divorce involving a Filipino → generally requires recognition in a Philippine court (and annotation in records) before Philippine civil status updates for remarriage and many legal purposes.

C. Void vs. voidable marriages matters for “status checking”

Even if a marriage is void from the beginning, Philippine practice and jurisprudence require a judicial declaration of nullity for remarriage and for many official changes in civil status. So, for practical “is this person free to marry,” the question becomes:

Is there any recorded marriage, and if so,
Is there a recorded/annotated court decree (or recognized foreign divorce) that changes that status?

2) Why marriage is a “public record” and where it is kept

A. Civil registry system

Marriage is one of the civil status events recorded in the Philippines. In practice:

A Certificate of Marriage is accomplished and signed after the ceremony.
The document is submitted for registration to the Local Civil Registry (LCR) of the city/municipality where the marriage was solemnized.
The LCR transmits registered documents to the national database now maintained by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) (formerly under NSO functions).

B. Two key repositories

Local Civil Registrar (LCR): The “primary” local record in the place of registration.
PSA: National repository issuing security-paper copies and certifications based on what was transmitted/encoded.

A practical consequence: an LCR may have a record that has not yet appeared in PSA, especially for recent registrations, late registrations, or transmission backlogs.

3) The main public-record documents used to check marital status (and what each really proves)

A. PSA Marriage Certificate (often called “Marriage Contract”)

What it is: A PSA-issued copy of the registered marriage entry.

What it proves well:

There is a recorded marriage for the two named parties on the stated date/place.
If annotated, it may show later events affecting status (e.g., decree of nullity/annulment, recognition of foreign divorce, death, corrections).

Limits:

It proves the existence of a recorded entry, not that every detail is error-free.
If a marriage was never registered or not transmitted, PSA may not show it.

B. PSA “Advisory on Marriages” (AOM)

What it is: A PSA certification summarizing marriages found on file for a person, typically listing details (spouse name, date, place).

What it’s good for:

Spotting multiple marriages on record.
Seeing what the PSA database “thinks” is on file under the person’s identity.

Limits:

It reflects database matches—name variations, encoding errors, or incomplete identifiers can cause missed or incorrect hits.

C. PSA CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage Record)

What it is: A certification that, based on PSA records searched under the provided identity details, there is no marriage record found.

Common uses:

Marriage applications, some immigration and employment requirements, and general proof of “no recorded marriage.”

Critical caution: A CENOMAR is not an absolute guarantee that the person has never been married. It only certifies that no record was located under the searched parameters in PSA’s files. It may miss:

Unregistered marriages,
Marriages registered but not transmitted/encoded,
Marriages under different name spellings or prior names,
Marriages abroad that were not reported/registered with Philippine authorities,
Records affected by corrections, late registration, or data quality issues.

D. LCR Certified True Copy of Marriage Record

What it is: A certified copy from the local civil registry where the marriage was registered.

Why it matters:

Sometimes the only existing official record (especially if PSA copy is not yet available).
Useful for verifying entries and correcting PSA/LCR discrepancies.

E. Annotated records after annulment/nullity/recognition of foreign divorce

For “is the person still married,” the most important nuance is whether the marriage record has been annotated to reflect a court decree or recognized foreign divorce.

Typical supporting documents (often requested together in real-world due diligence):

Certified copy of the Decision/Decree
Certificate of Finality
Entry of Judgment
PSA/LCR annotated marriage certificate (annotation is often what third parties rely on)

Without annotation, a person may still appear “married” in civil registry outputs even if a favorable court ruling exists but has not been properly recorded.

4) The lawful ways to obtain and verify records

A. Requesting PSA documents (legal route)

PSA issues civil registry documents and certifications through:

In-person outlets, and/or
Authorized online/third-party service channels that facilitate PSA requests

Typical information needed (varies by document type):

Full name (including middle name for Filipino naming convention)
Date of birth
Place of birth
Parents’ names (often helpful for identity matching)
For marriage certificate: spouse’s full name, date and place of marriage

Practical reality about requester eligibility: Policies can differ by document type and channel, and may be stricter for certain certifications. Commonly, identity and authorization requirements are applied more tightly for sensitive certifications. In any event, misrepresentation to obtain records is not a “legal way” and can create criminal and civil exposure.

B. Checking at the Local Civil Registry (LCR)

Where deeper verification is needed, the LCR is the next lawful step.

When LCR verification is especially important:

The PSA shows “no record,” but there is reason to believe a marriage happened in a specific city/municipality.
A marriage is very recent and may not yet appear in PSA.
There are suspected errors in names/dates/places.

How LCR checks are typically done (lawful approach):

Request a certified copy of the record from the specific city/municipality where the marriage would have been registered.
Provide as much detail as possible (approximate date, place, full names, and any alternate spellings).

C. The “marriage license application posting” is not a reliable marital-status check

The Family Code requires posting notice of a marriage license application for a period at the LCR. This is:

Local,
Time-limited, and
Focused on impending licenses, not a permanent “marriage registry search tool.”

It is not a dependable way to determine whether someone is already married.

D. Court records (only for specific legal questions)

To verify whether a marriage has been annulled/nullified, or a foreign divorce recognized:

The definitive source is the court case record and final judgment.
Access procedures vary and may require showing lawful interest or obtaining court permission for certified copies, depending on the situation and the nature of the record.

For most third-party purposes, the most useful output remains the civil registry annotation of the marriage record reflecting the court outcome.

5) Common scenarios where “checking PSA” alone can be misleading

A. Unregistered marriages

Failure to register does not automatically mean the marriage was invalid, but it makes proof difficult. Unregistered marriages can occur due to:

Neglect by parties or solemnizing officer,
Lost documents,
Remote area logistics,
Administrative failures.

A person can be married even if the PSA database returns “no record.”

B. Late registration

A marriage may be registered much later than the wedding date, which can affect:

When it appears in PSA,
Data quality,
The ease of locating it under expected date ranges.

C. Name and identity issues

PSA/LCR searches can fail due to:

Spelling differences (e.g., one-letter variations),
Missing/extra middle names,
Use of compound surnames,
Changes due to legitimation, adoption, recognition, or court-ordered corrections,
Recording errors later corrected under administrative or judicial processes.

A thorough check accounts for reasonable name variants and prior names.

D. Marriages abroad (and “Report of Marriage”)

A Filipino married abroad may have a valid marriage under the foreign country’s law. For Philippine records to reflect it, the marriage is typically reported/registered through a Philippine foreign service post and then transmitted for inclusion in Philippine civil registry systems.

If it was never reported, PSA may show no record even though the person is married.

E. Muslim marriages and special contexts

Marriages under the Code of Muslim Personal Laws follow their own substantive rules and may be documented differently, but they still intersect with civil registration practices. If not properly registered/transmitted, PSA records may be incomplete.

6) What counts as “proof” of marriage in disputes or official transactions

A. Best evidence in practice

For most government and private transactions, the strongest proof is:

PSA-issued marriage certificate on security paper (or its official equivalent), especially if annotated for later changes.

B. Secondary evidence exists—but is riskier

In litigation or contested matters, marriage may sometimes be proven by:

LCR records,
Church/parish records (supporting),
Testimony of witnesses,
Other documentary evidence

But for “checking if someone is legally married,” secondary evidence is usually not the first-line method—because it is harder to obtain and assess, and often requires adjudication.

C. Annotations are the practical “status switch”

For third parties (employers, banks, government offices, prospective spouses), civil status usually turns on what the civil registry record shows with annotations:

“Married” without annotation → treated as married for most purposes.
Marriage record annotated with decree/recognition → treated as updated status.

7) Privacy, lawful purpose, and legal risk

A. Public document ≠ unlimited free-for-all

Civil registry documents are public in character, but they contain personal data. Handling and use must still respect:

Lawful purpose,
Proper authorization where required,
Data privacy principles (e.g., proportionality, legitimate purpose, security).

B. Unlawful methods create exposure

Examples of risky conduct include:

Using fake identities or forged authorizations,
Bribing personnel for access,
Buying “leaked” databases,
Using obtained records to harass, blackmail, or defame

These can implicate offenses involving falsification, fraud, and data privacy violations, aside from civil liability.

C. “Background check” culture vs. legal proof

Marital status shown in:

Social media,
Barangay certificates,
HR files,
ID cards

is generally not conclusive proof of being legally married (or legally free to marry). These are at most leads that should be validated through civil registry documents.

8) A practical, legally sound verification approach (due diligence model)

When the goal is to determine whether a person is legally free to marry or still married, the most defensible approach typically uses layered verification:

PSA Advisory on Marriages (to see if any marriage entries appear)
PSA Marriage Certificate(s) for any listed marriage entries
If no marriages appear, PSA CENOMAR (with correct identity details and known name variants)
If there is credible reason to suspect a missing record:
- Check the LCR of the likely place(s) of marriage registration
- Consider alternate spellings/prior names and approximate dates
If the person claims a prior marriage ended:
- Require the annotated PSA marriage certificate and/or certified court documents proving finality and proper recording
If the person claims widowhood:
- Verify with the PSA death certificate of the spouse and consistency with the marriage record

9) Bottom line

In the Philippines, there is no legally reliable “quick online lookup” for marital status open to the public at large. The lawful and dependable way to check whether someone is legally married is through civil registry documentation—primarily PSA-issued records and certifications, supplemented when needed by Local Civil Registry verification and, for status-changing events, court decrees and corresponding record annotations. The most important practical distinction is between “no record found” and “no marriage exists”: a CENOMAR or negative result is evidence, but not absolute proof, unless corroborated by a careful check that accounts for registration gaps, name variations, and overseas marriages.