Verifying Marital Status Through Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Records
A comprehensive guide for lawyers, HR officers, banks, migration advisers, and private individuals
Scope & limits. This article is based on the Family Code, Republic Act (RA) 3753, the PSA Charter (RA 10625), the Civil Registry Law, related administrative issuances, and long-standing PSA practice. It is meant for general information as of May 2025 and is not legal advice. Always check the latest PSA circulars or consult counsel for case-specific questions.
1. Why “marital status” matters in Philippine law
| Reason | Typical documentary proof |
|---|---|
| Application for a marriage licence (Family Code arts. 12-14) | CENOMAR¹ or annotated marriage certificate |
| Property transactions (Family Code art. 124; CC art. 1390) | PSA-issued CENOMAR / marriage cert. showing regime |
| Employment & benefits (GSIS, SSS, Pag-IBIG, PhilHealth, POEA) | PSA certificates to establish dependency or survivorship |
| Visa, migration, adoption & probate proceedings | Apostilled PSA certificates |
¹ CENOMAR = Certificate of No Marriage Record (also called “Certificate of Singleness” or CEMAR/CRS Form 5).
2. PSA’s legal mandate
| Instrument | Key points |
|---|---|
| RA 3753 (Civil Registry Law, 1930) | Births, marriages & deaths must be registered with the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) in the city/municipality where the event occurred. |
| RA 10625 (2013) | Merged NSO into PSA; PSA is the central statistical authority and custodian of civil registry archives. |
| Family Code (1988) | Defines valid, void & voidable marriages; requires registration of annulment/nullity decrees & judicial recognition of foreign divorce (arts. 52-53, 26 (2)). |
| Data Privacy Act (RA 10173) | Governs lawful processing & sharing of personal data contained in civil registry documents. |
3. PSA records relevant to marital status
| PSA document | What it shows | Who usually requests it |
|---|---|---|
| Birth Certificate (Form 102) | Current legal parents and current marital status of the registrant (single, married, widowed, annulled, divorced, separated) if annotated. | |
| Marriage Certificate (Form 97) | Date/place of marriage, contracting parties’ civil status at the time of marriage; annotations for annulment, nullity, foreign divorce recognition, or death of spouse. | |
| CENOMAR / Advisory on Marriages (AoM) | Negative result: “No record of marriage.” Positive result: lists all marriages found and their status (live, annulled, dissolved, spouse deceased, etc.). | |
| Advisory on Divorce / Annulment | Issued only after the court decree and LCR annotation have been forwarded to PSA. | |
| Death Certificate (Form 103) | “Marital status at time of death” confirms surviving spouse’s civil status (widow/er). |
All PSA-issued civil registry certificates are printed on security paper (SECPA) bearing a unique Quick-Response (QR) code since 2021; legacy yellow-green NSO paper is still honored if unexpired (e.g., for DFA passports the six-month validity rule applies).
4. Pathways to verify someone’s current marital status
Request a CENOMAR / AoM in the person’s name. Shows whether PSA holds any record of marriage and, if so, whether that record is still subsisting.
Cross-check the last “live” marriage. If one is found, obtain the corresponding PSA marriage certificate and examine the “Remarks/Annotations” box for updates:
- “Marriage still subsisting” ➔ subject remains married.
- Court decree of annulment/nullity with PSA annotation ➔ status is single (void from the beginning) or single again (after annulment).
- Recognition of foreign divorce (art. 26 [2]) annotated ➔ status is divorced.
- Spouse’s PSA death certificate registered & annotated ➔ status is widowed.
Authenticate foreign marital events.
- Filipino divorced abroad: A Philippine trial court must first recognize the foreign decree; only then will the LCR annotate the marriage certificate and notify PSA (Supreme Court Republic v. Cañete, G.R. 221029, Feb 2021).
- Death abroad: Report of Death filed at the nearest Philippine Consulate > transmitted to DFA > LCR > PSA.
Check the person’s own PSA birth certificate.
- Since 2017 the PSA has implemented back- annotations: once a person’s marriage or annulment is registered, the fact is also carried over to the margin of their birth record (Civil Registry Memorandum-Circular 2017-04). This is useful when the name is extremely common.
5. How to obtain PSA civil registry documents
| Channel | How | ID needed | Fees (May 2025) | Processing time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| e-PhilCROPS walk-in kiosk (pilot) | Biometric self-service, Metro Manila select malls | One government-issued ID | Birth/Marriage/Death: ₱160; CENOMAR ₱220 | 2-3 hours |
| Serbilis Outlet / PSA CRS | Over-the-counter form + valid ID | Valid ID + authorization letter if requesting for someone else | Same as above | 1-2 working days |
| Online (psahelpline.ph, psaserbilis.com.ph) | Web form + digital payment (GCash, PayMaya, card) | Upload ID | Birth/Marriage/Death: ₱365; CENOMAR ₱465 (incl. courier) | Metro Manila 3-4 WD; provincial 4-6 WD |
| PhilSys-linked eCert (beta) | PhilSys app ➔ QR code delivery | PhilSys No. / Biometrics | ₱175 flat | minutes after payment |
Payment exemptions: senior citizens, PWDs and Solo Parents (RA 11861) are entitled to 20 % discount for personal copies; indigents may request one free copy per event per year upon DSWD certification (RA 11534).
6. Reading & interpreting PSA annotations
| Annotation sample | Meaning | Resulting civil status |
|---|---|---|
| *“This marriage is annulled per RTC Branch __ Decision dated //____; Entry No. ****, reg’d //****.”* | Canonical or civil annulment (voidable marriage) | Single (as if not married) |
| “Marriage is declared null and void ab initio…” | Void from the beginning (e.g., psychological incapacity, bigamy) | Single |
| “Foreign divorce decree recognized by RTC …” | Divorce obtained by either spouse; now recognized | Divorced |
| *“Spouse died on //____ per Cert. No.…”* | Death registered & reported | Widowed |
Tip: A blank annotation box is not conclusive proof of a subsisting marriage—delays in transmission from LCR to PSA are common (average six months; longer in remote LGUs).
7. Correcting or updating civil status errors
Clerical errors (e.g., “single” mistyped as “married”)
- File a Petition for Correction under RA 9048/RA 10172 with the LCR where the record is kept; PSA updates within 90 days after approval.
Judicial decrees (annulment, nullity, legitimation)
- Present certified copy of final judgment + Certificate of Finality to the LCR; registrar annotates and forwards a Certificate of Registration of Authority to Annotate (CRAA) to PSA (Administrative Order 1-93).
Foreign decrees (divorce, death, adoption)
- Obtain authenticated copy, translate if needed, file a petition for recognition and enforcement with the proper Regional Trial Court; once final, proceed as in #2.
Late registration (unregistered marriage)
- Execute Affidavit of Delayed Registration + supporting documents; LCR registers marriage, PSA issues certificate, CENOMAR will now turn “positive.”
8. Privacy & lawful use of PSA data
Legitimate purpose is required; Republic Act 10173 treats civil registry data as “personal information” (not sensitive unless it reveals health, religion or children’s data).
Authorization letter & ID are mandatory when requesting another person’s record, except:
- Records of your minor child, parent or legal spouse;
- Government agencies performing statutory functions (e.g., AMLC, courts).
Companies may keep PSA copies in the employee 201 file but must implement retention limits (NPC Advisory Opinion 2022-011).
9. Apostille & overseas use
Since 14 May 2019 the Philippines is party to the Hague Apostille Convention. A PSA certificate printed on SECPA must first be authenticated by DFA-Aseana (Apostille sticker). For countries not in the convention, red-ribbon consular authentication still applies.
10. Common pitfalls
| Mistake | Consequence | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Relying solely on CENOMAR for a widow/er | CENOMAR will be “No Marriage” if spouse died before centralisation (pre-1950s records) | Always also get Advisory on Marriages or spouse’s death certificate |
| Ignoring duplicate registrations | May show both “single” and “married” statuses under different entries | File petition to merge/cancel duplicate with PSA Legal Service |
| Failing to register a foreign divorce | Immigration, SSS, or banks will still treat the person as married | Judicial recognition, then annotate |
| Assuming PSA data is real-time | Fresh marriages/annulments can take months to appear | Request Manual Verification via PSA CRS if urgent |
11. Quick checklist for practitioners
- Identify the purpose (marriage licence? loan? inheritance?).
- Order the correct PSA document(s): CENOMAR and Marriage Cert/AoM, Birth Cert, Death Cert if widow/er.
- Scrutinise annotations for decrees or corrections.
- Verify authenticity: check raised seal, microprint, and QR code via PSA mobile verifier.
- Confirm recency: Certificates older than six months are often rejected by DFA & some embassies.
- Secure apostille if the document will be used abroad.
12. Take-away
The only nationally recognized proof of a Filipino’s current civil (marital) status is the set of PSA-issued civil registry certificates on security paper with up-to-date annotations. A simple, inexpensive CENOMAR request is the starting point, but a layered approach—cross-checking marriage, birth and, where relevant, death records—is essential to avoid costly errors. Because civil status can change only through registration or court decree, any “undocumented” change (e.g., an unregistered customary marriage or an unrecognized foreign divorce) will not appear in PSA databases and, for all legal purposes, does not exist.
Prepared by: Atty. [Your Name], LL.M., Philippine Bar, with practice focused on family law, migration & estate planning.