A practitioner’s all-in guide—how to obtain, ship, and authenticate a PSA Certificate of No Marriage Record when you’re outside the country

I. What a CENOMAR is (and what you may actually receive)

CENOMAR = Certificate of No Marriage Record issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on security paper (SECPA).
If the PSA finds any marriage on record, you will not get a “no marriage” certificate; instead you receive an Advisory on Marriages (AOM) listing the registered marriage(s) and details.
Purpose: immigration/visa, marriage license (Philippines or abroad), employment, bank/consular requirements, annulment/recognition proceedings, etc.
“Validity”: No statute sets an expiration, but most agencies require an issuance within the last 3–6 months. Plan timing accordingly.

II. Who can request and what information is needed

Eligible requestors

The owner of the record.
A spouse/parent/child or authorized representative with a signed authorization and ID copies.
For legal representatives, attach proof of authority (SPA, board resolution, or court order as applicable).

Information PSA typically needs

Full name (and all known name variants, including middle name and suffix);
Sex, date and place of birth;
Parents’ full names (as they appear on your birth record);
Known marriages (if any) to help search and avoid false negatives;
Purpose of request;
Valid government ID details.

Tip: Name and parent-name consistency is crucial. If your birth record has a spelling variant or a late registration, reconcile that first to avoid mismatches.

III. Requesting a CENOMAR from overseas: channels & workflows

A. PSA online ordering with international delivery

Use PSA’s official online ordering portal that supports international shipping.
Pay via accepted international cards or supported channels; provide an overseas shipping address.
Delivery windows vary by destination; expect longer lead times for remote addresses and customs checks.

B. Through an authorized representative in the Philippines

Appoint a trusted person to transact in person or via PSA online (domestic delivery).
Provide:
- Signed authorization letter (or Special Power of Attorney if required by the outlet),
- Your ID copy and the representative’s ID,
- Complete data set (see Section II).
The representative receives the CENOMAR on PSA SECPA paper and can then proceed to DFA Apostille on your behalf (see Section V), and ship it to you by courier.

C. Via a Philippine Embassy/Consulate facilitation

Some posts assist with forwarding requests to PSA or point you to the correct channels and certify your SPA/authorization if you’re appointing a representative in the Philippines.
Consular posts do not issue CENOMAR; the record comes only from PSA.

IV. Special document: SPA/Authorization executed abroad (so your representative can act)

You often need to empower a representative to handle pickup and DFA Apostille. Your options:

Execute an SPA before a Philippine Embassy/Consulate: it becomes a Philippine public document and is usable in the Philippines without further apostille.
Execute an SPA before a local (foreign) notary:
- If the country is an Apostille Convention member, have the SPA apostilled by that country’s competent authority, then send to your representative.
- If the country is not an Apostille member, have the SPA consularized/legalized by the Philippine Embassy/Consulate in that country.

Practice tip: Keep the SPA specific (CENOMAR request, receipt, and DFA Apostille) and attach ID copies. Many outlets accept a simple authorization letter for pickup, but DFA Apostille typically prefers SPA when the owner is not the one appearing.

V. Apostille of the CENOMAR (replaces the old “red ribbon”)

A. Why you need it

Foreign authorities usually require that a Philippine public document (like a PSA CENOMAR) be authenticated for use abroad. Under the Apostille Convention, that authentication is the Apostille.

B. Who issues the apostille for Philippine documents

Only the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)—Office of Consular Affairs—may issue an Apostille for PSA documents.
Apostille must be issued in the country where the document originated. That means PSA → DFA Apostille (Philippines).

C. Standard path from overseas

Obtain the CENOMAR on PSA SECPA paper.
Submit it to DFA for Apostille: either you appear personally (if you’re in PH) or your authorized representative does.
Select pick-up or courier return to your representative; ship overseas thereafter.

D. Destination country determines the final step

If the document will be used in an Apostille member country: DFA Apostille alone generally suffices—no need to go to that country’s embassy/consulate.
If the document will be used in a non-Apostille country: After DFA authentication, you typically proceed to legalization by that country’s embassy/consulate in Manila (check their rules).

Tip: Some foreign authorities also require an official translation to their language. Do the DFA Apostille first, then translate, or use a translator whose output the foreign authority accepts (some require apostilled translator affidavits).

VI. Edge cases and troubleshooting

PSA returns an AOM (a marriage is on file).
- If you believe it’s a namesake or clerical error, consider a certified search across variants and request manual verification.
- If you have a void/annulled marriage or a foreign divorce recognized by a Philippine court, you may need to first complete civil registry annotations before agencies abroad will accept “single” status claims.
Late registration or missing birth record.
- PSA may have difficulty matching without a clean birth record. Resolve civil registry issues first to avoid “no record” returns.
Name changes, adoption, or legitimation.
- Ensure the correct entries and annotations appear on your PSA birth certificate; otherwise the CENOMAR search may miss or misattribute records.
Urgent foreign deadlines.
- Use a representative in Manila for walk-in/express Apostille options where available, and premium couriers for outbound shipping. Buffer time for peak seasons.
Multiple jurisdictions.
- If you will use the CENOMAR in several countries, request multiple original PSA copies and apostille them separately. Photocopies are generally not accepted.

VII. Typical timelines (for planning)

PSA issuance (domestic pick-up/door-to-door): a few business days to a couple of weeks depending on volume and address.
International shipping from PSA: add transit time and customs latency.
DFA Apostille: can be same week to a couple of weeks depending on venue, volume, and whether you use courier return.
Embassy legalization (if destination is non-Apostille): add that mission’s processing time.

(Do not schedule marriage/visa filings at the last minute—count backwards from your target date and add buffers.)

VIII. Document checklists

A. For PSA request (owner abroad)

Completed request data (names, parents, DOB/POB, purpose)
Valid government ID (clear scan if online; original if in-person via representative)
Payment proof (online)
Shipping address (international) or representative’s address (domestic)

B. For representative pickup / DFA Apostille

SPA (apostilled/consularized if executed abroad) or consularized authorization;
Owner’s ID copy and representative’s original ID;
Original PSA CENOMAR/AOM (SECPA);
DFA application form/slot (as required) and fees;
Courier waybill if using return delivery.

C. For non-Apostille destination

DFA authenticated CENOMAR;
Any embassy-specific forms, payments, and return envelope;
Translations if required.

IX. Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

Relying on scans: Most authorities require the original SECPA document with wet Apostille (or printed Apostille sheet).
Name/parent mismatches: Align spellings with your PSA birth certificate. Add aka variants to your request to widen the search.
Expired “freshness”: Requisition close to your filing date; many offices want issuance within 3 months.
Insufficient authority: A simple authorization may work for PSA release, but DFA Apostille frequently expects an SPA for representatives.
One-copy planning: Order extras; re-ordering from abroad under time pressure is costly.
Wrong sequence: Apostille first, then any translation/legalization steps demanded by the destination.

X. Practical strategy maps

Scenario 1: You want one apostilled CENOMAR for an Apostille-country fiancé(e) visa

Request PSA CENOMAR → 2) Representative brings to DFA for Apostille → 3) Courier to you → 4) Submit directly to the foreign authority. (No further embassy legalization.)

Scenario 2: You’re in a non-Apostille country

PSA CENOMAR → 2) DFA authentication/apostille-equivalent → 3) Legalize at destination embassy in Manila (or as instructed) → 4) Ship abroad.

Scenario 3: No representative in PH

Order international delivery from PSA → Ship to you → Courier back to your chosen service/agent in Manila for DFA Apostille (some providers accept mail-in) → Ship back overseas.

Scenario 4: Tight deadline

Use Manila-based representative with SPA executed before a PH consulate (no extra apostille step). Book priority apostille and express couriers.

XI. Data protection and record hygiene

Keep identity documents and SPA copies secure (consider watermarking view-only PDFs when emailing).
Never post full scans of CENOMAR on public channels—contains personal data.
Retain tracking numbers, receipts, and DFA control nos. for follow-ups.

XII. Bottom line

From overseas, the cleanest path is: PSA CENOMAR on SECPA → DFA Apostille in the Philippines → (if needed) destination embassy legalization → deliver original where required. If you cannot appear in person, empower a Philippine-based representative with a properly executed SPA, synchronize name data with your birth record, and build in time buffers for shipping and apostille. With those pieces in place, even tight cross-border timelines are manageable.