1. Make sure it is the last resort.

As stated in a previous post, love and marriage are

supposed to be forever. Try all options, like counseling, to make it work. If there’s no
progress, weigh your options. On the other side of the scale is the reality that getting
into another relationship or marriage, while the first marital bond is still existing, is a
sure way of courting criminal liability (adultery, concubinage, bigamy). A subsequent
petition for declaration of nullity/annulment of marriage is not a defense in the
criminal action.

2. Realize that it will cost you. Getting out of marriage is sometimes more expensive
than getting into one. Expenses include the fees for your lawyer or counsel, filing
fees, professional fees for the psychiatrist or psychologist (if the ground
ispsychological incapacity), etc.

3. Discuss the custody of children, visitation rights, property arrangements

andsupport. Custody over children and separation of properties in annulment are
among the most bitter issues in annulment. As much as possible, discuss and agree
on these matters beforehand.

4. Make sure to invoke a valid ground. Marriage is an inviolable social institution and
any doubt is resolved in its favor. Hence, make sure there’s sufficient basis to go
through the procedure discussed below.

The procedure provided under the Rules on Declaration of Absolute Nullity of Void
Marriages and Annulment of Voidable Marriages is discussed below. Please note that
a petition for “annulment” refers to voidable marriages, which are valid until annulled
by the court, while a petition for “declaration of nullity” refers to marriages that are
considered void or inexistent from the very beginning. There are other differences
(e.g., legitimate status of children, property relations between the spouses,
prescription and ratification), but let’s leave those for another day. For convenience,
we shall refer to both petitions as “annulment”.

1. Preparation and filing of the petition. The petition may be filed, at the option of
the spouse who filed it (called the “petitioner”), in the Family Court of the province
or city where the petitioner or the other spouse (called the “respondent”) resides for
the last 6 months prior to the date of filing, or in the case of a non-resident
respondent, 7where he/she may be found in the Philippines. An Overseas Filipino
Worker (OFW) may file the petition even while abroad. Incidentally, upon filing of the
petition or anytime thereafter, the court may issue provisional and protective orders.

2. Service of Summons. In simplest terms, this is giving notice to the respondent.

Where the respondent cannot be located at the given address or the whereabouts
are unknown and cannot be ascertained by diligent inquiry, service of summons may
be done by publication. This is crucial because the court cannot validly proceed
without service of summons.

3. Answer. The respondent must answer within 15 days from service of summons (or
within 30 days from the last issue of publication in case of service of summons by
publication). Unlike in civil cases, the respondent in annulment proceedings is not
declared in default if no answer is filed, but the public prosecutor shall be ordered to
investigate whether collusion exists between the parties.

4. Investigation report of public prosecutor. The public prosecutor prepares a report

on whether there is collusion between the parties. If the court is convinced that
collusion exists, it shall dismiss the petition; otherwise, the court shall set the case
for pre-trial conference. The Rules dispensed with the requirement, as provided
inMolina, that the Solicitor General issue a certification stating his reasons for his
agreement or opposition to the petition.

5. Pre-trial conference. During the mandatory pre-trial conference, the court and the
parties deal with certain matters, such as stipulation of facts, for the purpose of
expediting the proceedings. The petition may be dismissed if the petitioner fails to
appear during pre-trial. At this stage, the court may also refer the issues to a
mediator who shall assist the parties in reaching an agreement on matters not
prohibited by law (no compromise allowed in civil status of persons, validity of
marriage or of legal separation, grounds for legal separation, jurisdiction of courts,
and future support and legitime). The court may also require a social worker to
conduct a case study and submit a report at least 3 days before the pre-trial
conference, or at any stage of the case whenever necessary.

6. Trial. This is the stage where the ground for annulment is proved and opposed.
The court may order the exclusion from the courtroom of all persons, including
members of the press, who do not have a direct interest in the case.

7. Decision. After the trial proper, the court renders its decision, which is different
from the Decree of annulment. A decision, whether granting or dismissing the
petition, becomes final upon the expiration of 15 days from notice to the parties.

8. Appeal. The aggrieved party or the Solicitor General may appeal from the decision
within 15 days from notice of denial of the motion for reconsideration or new trial.

9. Liquidation, partition and distribution, custody, support of common children and

delivery of their presumptive legitimes. These are done upon entry of the judgment
granting the petition.

10. Issuance of Decree of annulment. The court issues the Decree after: (i)
registration of the entry of judgment granting the annulment in the Civil Registry
where the marriage was celebrated and in the Civil Registry of the place where the
court is located; (ii) registration of the approved partition and distribution of the
properties of the spouses in the proper Register of Deeds where the real properties
are located; and (iii) delivery of the children’s presumptive legitimes in cash,
property, or sound securities.
11. Registration of the Decree. The Decree must be registered in the Civil Registry
where the marriage was registered, the Civil Registry of the place where the court is
situated, and in the National Census and Statistics Office.

WHAT IS THE PROCESS OF ANNULMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES?

January 24th, 2013
Since there is no divorce law in the Philippines, it is legally necessary that a
previously-married Filipino woman or man, whose spouse is still alive, get a
legal civil annulment in order to marry again.

While we are not lawyers and cannot offer legal advice per se, based on our
research and experience, we want to explain the generally-accepted
process of civil annulment so that you will be prepared when you meet with
your lawyer if you need to pursue this course.

The First step is to hire an attorney. An attorney’s packaged acceptance fee

typically ranges from 70,000 pesos ($1750) to 120,000 pesos ($3000). In
the Philippines, there are some people who might promise and offer
services, such as a quick annulment of marriage, for an even larger
amount. However, taking such a large risk is ill-advised and may result in a
complete loss of the entire exorbitant sum with little or no actual progress
on the legal case.

The time necessary for annulment depends on the talent, connections, and
dedication of the attorney. An uncontested annulment case (in which the
spouse does not show up at all in court) may take 6 months to 4 years to
complete depending on the calendar of the court, the availability of
witnesses and other issues such as custody or property. Cases where the
spouse does appear can be even longer.
Constant communication and follow up are needed for the case to go
smoothly and on schedule.

The second step is writing the required marital history. This is a detailed
narrative of the marriage from the time the two first met through the
present. It also includes the reason for the separation focused on the
personality of the couples and detailing the end the relationship.

The most common grounds for Traditional Annulment and Declaration of

Nullity of Marriage are the following:

1. Minority (those contracted by any party below 18 years of age even with
the consent of parents or guardians).

2. Lack of authority of solemnizing officer (those solemnized by any person

not legally authorized to perform marriages, unless such marriages were
contracted with either or both parties believing in good faith that the
solemnizing officer had the legal authority to do so).

3. Absence of marriage license (except in certain cases).

4. Bigamous or polygamous marriages (except in cases where the other

spouse is declared as presumptively dead).

5. Mistaken identity (those contracted through the mistake of one

contracting party as to the identity of the other).

6. After securing a judgment of annulment or of absolute nullity of

marriage, the parties, before entering into the subsequent marriage, failed
to record with the appropriate registry the: (i) partition and distribution of
the properties of the first marriage; And (ii) delivery of the children’s
presumptive legitime.

7. Incestuous marriages (between ascendants and descendants of any

degree, between brothers and sisters, whether of the full or half blood).

8. Void by reason of public policy. Marriages between (i) collateral blood

relatives whether legitimate or illegitimate, up to the fourth civil degree;
(ii) step-parents and step-children; (iii) parents-in-law and children-in-law;
(iv) adopting parent and the adopted child; (v) surviving spouse of the
adopting parent and the adopted child; (vi) surviving spouse of the adopted
child and the adopter; (vii) an adopted child and a legitimate child of the
adopter; (viii) adopted children of the same adopter; and (ix) parties where
one, with the intention to marry the other, killed that other person’s
spouse, or his or her own spouse.

9. Psychological Incapacity. Psychological incapacity contemplates

downright incapacity or inability to take cognizance of and to assume the
basic marital obligations; not a mere refusal, neglect or difficulty, much
less, ill will, on the part of the errant spouse. Irreconcilable differences,
conflicting personalities, emotional immaturity and irresponsibility, physical
abuse, habitual alcoholism, sexual infidelity or perversion, and
abandonment, by themselves, also do not warrant a finding of
psychological incapacity. [Note] the guidelines and illustrations of
 psychological incapacity, including a case involving habitual lying, as well
as the steps and procedure in filing a petition.

Most Annulment lawyers in the Philippines commonly use Psychological

Incapacity.

The third step is the psychological evaluation process. This varies from one
psychologist to the next. The lawyer normally would recommend a
psychologist/psychiatrist who will do the evaluation and be a witness in
court. The evaluation may cost from 15,000 pesos to as high as 40,000
pesos. Some charge additional fees for testifying in court. (Normally, this
fee is already included in the annulment package quoted by the attorney.)
The spouse will be asked to join in the evaluation, but in most instances
they do not participate in the evaluation process. The psychologist will then
proceed to do the evaluation based on the tests and the interviews with the
party or parties as well as other relevant witnesses.

The fourth step is the drafting, then filing, of the petition itself. This is the
lawyer’s job. After the filing of the petition, which must be signed by the
requesting party (husband or wife), the case will be assigned to a branch of
the Regional Trial Court. The spouse will now be notified by sending papers,
called summons, requiring the spouse to answer the petition within a
number of days from receipt of the notice.

Collusion of marriage (both parties agreed to file an annulment) will also be

investigated, a process wherein a public prosecutor will be assigned to a
court and will be asked to determine if the parties involved are conspiring
to file a case. Collusion – mutually agreed-upon separation – is not an
acceptable condition and would result in a dismissal of the annulment
petition.

After the collusion investigation, a report is prepared by the public

prosecutor on the findings of his investigation. If no collusion is found, the
case proceeds to a pretrial and the spouse will be notified again. If the
spouse does not appear, the court will proceed with the marking of the
documents, the determination of the number of witnesses, and the
schedule of the trial. During the trial stage, witnesses will be called.
Normally, the witnesses would be the petitioning party, a corroborating
witness (who knew the couple and what happened to the marriage), and
the psychologist who will testify on the evaluation made. The public
prosecutor representing the government will be allowed to question the
witnesses as well.

After the trial and the offer of evidence, the case is then submitted for
decision. (Waiting for decision may take 90 days or more)

Note that the presence of the spouse is not necessary in the process. In
most annulment proceedings, in fact, the other party to the marriage does
not participate at all. This speeds up the process somewhat because if the
other party makes an appearance, then he will likewise be given the
opportunity to present witnesses and evidence.

The procedures provided under the Rules on Declaration of Absolute Nullity of Void
Marriages and Annulment of Voidable Marriages is discussed below. Please note that
a petition for “annulment” refers to voidable marriages, which are valid until annulled
by the court, while a petition for “declaration of nullity” refers to marriages that are
considered void or inexistent from the very beginning. For convenience, we shall
refer to both petitions as “annulment”.

1. Preparation and filing of the petition.

The petition may be filed, at the option of the spouse who filed it (called the
“petitioner”), in the Family Court of the province or city where the petitioner or the
other spouse (called the “respondent”) resides for the last 6 months prior to the date
of filing, or in the case of a non-resident respondent, where he/she may be found in
the Philippines. An Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) may file the petition even while
abroad. Incidentally, upon filing of the petition or anytime thereafter, the court may
issue provisional and protective orders.

2. Service of Summons.
In simplest terms, this is giving notice to the respondent. It is the manner of how the
court can acquire jurisdiction over the person. Where the respondent cannot be
located at the given address or the whereabouts are unknown and cannot be
ascertained by diligent inquiry, service of summons may be done by publication. This
is crucial because the court cannot validly proceed without service of summons. The
court cannot render valid decision if the service of summon was validly been served.

3. Answer.
The respondent must answer within 15 days from service of summons (or within 30
days from the last issue of publication in case of service of summons by publication).
Unlike in civil cases, the respondent in annulment proceedings is not declared in
default if no answer is filed, but the public prosecutor shall be ordered to investigate
whether collusion exists between the parties.

4. Investigation report of public prosecutor.

The public prosecutor prepares a report on whether there is collusion between the
parties. If the court is convinced that collusion exists, it shall dismiss the petition;
otherwise, the court shall set the case for pre-trial conference. The Rules dispensed
with the requirement, as provided in Molina, that the Solicitor General issue a
certification stating his reasons for his agreement or opposition to the petition.

5. Pre-trial conference.
During the mandatory pre-trial conference, the court and the parties deal with
certain matters, such as stipulation of facts, for the purpose of expediting the
proceedings. The petition may be dismissed if the petitioner fails to appear during
pre-trial. At this stage, the court may also refer the issues to a mediator who shall
assist the parties in reaching an agreement on matters not prohibited by law (no
compromise allowed in civil status of persons, validity of marriage or of legal
separation, grounds for legal separation, jurisdiction of courts, and future support
and legitime).

6. Trial.
This is the stage where the ground for annulment is proved and opposed. The court
may order the exclusion from the courtroom of all persons, including members of the
press, who do not have a direct interest in the case.

7. Decision.
After the trial proper, the court renders its decision, which is different from the
Decree of annulment. A decision, whether granting or dismissing the petition,
becomes final upon the expiration of 15 days from notice to the parties.

8. Appeal.
The aggrieved party or the Solicitor General may appeal from the decision within 15
days from notice of denial of the motion for reconsideration or new trial.

9. Liquidation, partition and distribution, custody, support of common

children and delivery of their presumptive legitimes.
These are done upon entry of the judgment granting the petition.

10. Issuance of Decree of annulment.

The court issues the Decree after: (i) registration of the entry of judgment granting
the annulment in the Civil Registry where the marriage was celebrated and in the
Civil Registry of the place where the court is located; (ii) registration of the approved
partition and distribution of the properties of the spouses in the proper Register of
Deeds where the real properties are located; and (iii) delivery of the children’s
presumptive legitimes in cash, property, or sound securities.

11. Registration of the Decree.

The Decree must be registered in the Civil Registry where the marriage was
registered, the Civil Registry of the place where the court is situated, and in the
National Census and Statistics Office.

ANNULMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES

THE TEN QUESTIONS ON ANNULMENT YOU WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOUR LAWYER
BUT WERE AFRAID TO DO SO

Almost every website on Philippine Family Lawyers would have in one form or
another a section on FAQ , or the ubiquitous Frequently Asked Questions. As a
lawyer, I could relate very well to these FAQ’s because they are mostly what you will
find in legal textbooks . But I have often wondered whether or not the ordinary
layman, the contract worker aborad, or simply the one who is thinking about getting
an annulment can understand all the legal goobledook. Normally, these FAQ’s are
long winded and very technically worded, with quoted provisions and decisions of the
Supreme Court. In our humble attempt at an FAQ, we have decided to narrow the
questions to 10 and avoid the legalese. It is not our goal to present the best FAQ on
Philippine Annulment, our only object is to be understood well.

1) What is an annulment?
 Picture marraige as a contract, a binding agreement between two people,
preferably and in most jurisdictions, between a man and a woman. Just
like most So contracts, it could be valid, voidable, or void. It is valid if all its
components are present, ie, consent, object, and consummation (or
euphemistcially delivery as in a contract of sale). In a marriage, of course,
consent is the “I do” in the bringing together of a man and a woman in
matrimony, holy or otherwise. The object of course is the union of the parties
which in the eyes of the law makes them “one”. Lastly, but no less
importantly, is the consummation which in marriage is widely considered the
physical (or sexual) union. Much debate though has been made on whether
or not a marriage can exist without sex, at least at the beginning
Anyway, going back to our analogy, if there is any defect in the consent (the
“I do’), the object (the joining together as man and wife), or the
consummation (or delivery in more ways than one, pardon the pun), then the
validity of the contract is put into question. In an annulment, the defect
generally must come into play after the celebration of the marriage or in a
stricter sense must have existed at the very time of, if it is not by itself the
very cause of , the celebration of the marriage. Things like fraud, as in the
case of the woman who conceals the fact that she is pregnant by a man other
than her husband who agreed to the marriage on the assumption that he is
the father of the child. The marriage is valid in the beginning but because of
the fraud, it is valid until it is annulled. Normally, there are periods within
which an annulment can be filed.

In a divorce, on the other hand, and this is the way the term is generally
understood in most jurisdictions allowing for divorce, the defect is made
manifest after the celebration of the marriage. Things like the infamous
“irreconcillable differences” , “no fault divorce”, or “consensual divorce” are
common terms. You do not necessarily have to have a specific reason to
terminate the marriage, other than the agreement of the spouses.
Legal separation simply put is a separation physically and in most instances
financially. It is a court recognition of the fact of separation of the spouses,
thus not obliging any of them to support each other or to live together as
husband and wife. I have heard this compared to the Catholic concept of
purgatory because the marital union still exists and the parties cannot marry
other people. Often this is not a realistic situation and is not commonly
encountered in practice because while it attempts to preserve the union,
which in all likelihood may have disintegrated by then, it puts a legal
imprimatur (or signature if you will) to not being obliged to fulfill the very
important marital obligations of cohabitation or consortium and support.

2) What are the grounds for an annulment?

Technically, there is a difference between a traditional annulment and a

declaration of nullity of marriage under the Family Code. The basic distinction
is that the grounds which give rise to annulment are subject to what is known
as ratification by cohabitation, meaning that while the ground may have
existed at the time of the marriage (such as lack of consent, incapacity, or
fraud), by continuing to live together the invalidity is removed.Often, in the
real world, these grounds become inoperative because most married couple,
let us face it, cohabit after the marriage.
 In a declaration of nullity, however, the marriage is invalid from the very
start. A common situation is the bigamous marriage which is almost
universally considered void from the very beginning. It is wrong from the
start and nothing can be done in order to cure the defect in the contract. A
common offshoot of a bigamous marriage is when one of the parties want to
get married for a third time. The subquestion arises if it is still necessary to
annul the bigamous marriage considering that it is already void to begin with.
If we are to be guided by the decisions of the Supreme Court there may be a
need to have even the bigamous marriage declared null and void because the
parties cannot be allowed to presume the invalidity themselves or even to
benefit by their own acts which led to the invalidity of the marriage.
Other examples are incapacity (marriage before the statutory age of consent
which varies from one jurisdiction to the next), lack of consent as in a “gun
shot wedding”, incestuous (generally between a descendatn and a direct
ascendant) simualtions like a wedding between two men or two women (only
when not allowed by the law of a particular state).
A common ground encountered in practice is “psychologicial incapacity”
because, as we said, the other grounds for a traditional annulment would
have become inoperative because of cohabitation and perhaps because it is a
catch all ground that has resisted precise definition by the courts.

3) What is psychological incapacity?

It would seem that the term psychological incapacity is a relatively popular one
among Filipinos, but widely misunderstood. The common and erroneous notion
borders on insanity if not insanity itself, which often creates an aversion to
seeking an annulment of the marriage. After all, who will admit to insanity or
more specifically marrying the insane. Article 36 of the Family Code of the
Philippines which for the first time since the Japanese Occupation allowed for a
semblance of divorce in the Philippines via a declaration of the nullity of a
marriage where one or both parties is psychologically incapacitated, did not
actually define the term leaving the courts to develop a legal framework for it. It
has been said that this provision of the law was really a compromise between the
Philippine Catholic church (which for some reason opposes an absolute divorce
law in the Philippines) and the group of legal luminaries which drafted the Family
Code. True enough, jurisprudence has evolved a definition based initially and
mainly on Canon Law, progressing towards a clinical form of incapacity, to its
present state of non clinical incapacity. Perhaps, the term really escapes
definitiion, as it should if it is to evolve legally, the only guidance being the
failure to fulfill the essential obligations of the marriage. Conditions such as
homosexuality, drug or substance abuse, physical, verbal, psychological, and
economic abuse, among others, have been used to define the term.

4) How do I get started with the process of annulment?

The first step would be to get a lawyer, preferably a specialist in the field of
annulment of marriage. Do your bit of research. Get online. Read up on lawyers,
attorneys, solicitors (as they are known in the UK) , and law firms. Ask family and
friends for recommendations. Don’t settle for suspicious quick fixes offered online or
elsewhere. You will find a host of people (sadly I have heard that other legitimate
lawyers are into it as well) who will promise you the moon and the stars, an
annulment in 2 weeks without any hassle, no appearances, in some instances no
lawyers or attorneys involved and guaranteed 100%. Remember the old adage that
if it sounds too good to be true then it is probably a hoax. Remember too that
lawyers if they are worth their salt are not allowed ethically to guarantee the
outcome of cases.
The second step would be to write your marital history. This is a detailed narrative of
your marriage from the time you met you spouse, a description of the start, middle
portion, and end of your relationship, the event that precipitated your separation,
with a focus on the personality of your spouse and what about him/her in your mind
led to the break up of the relationship.

The third step would be the psychological evaluation process. This varies from one
psychologist to the next. Your lawyer normally would recommend a
psychologist/psychiatrist who will do the evaluation and be a witness in court. Even
court personnel would have a recommnendation or two. The evaluation costs
between 15,000 pesos to as high as 40,000 pesos. Some charge additional per diem
for testifying in court and the rate would depend on the venue of the proceedings.
Your spouse will be asked to join in, but in most instances they do not participate
even in the evaluation process. The psychologist will then proceed to do the
evaluation based on your tests and the interviews with you and other persons who
knew you and your spouse and what happened to the marriage.
The fourth step would be the drafting then filing of the Petition itself. This is your
lawyer’s job.
After the filing of the Petition, which you must sign, the case is raffled to a branch of
the Regional Trial Court where it was filed. Your spouse will now be notified by
sending him papers called summons requiring him to answer the petition within 15
days from receipt of the notice. If he is not in the country, notices can be served him
through publication.
Collusion investigation normally follows , which is an informal process whereby the
public prosecutor assigned to the court (or in some jurisdictions this is raffled as
well) is asked to determine if the parties are conspiring to file a case.
After the collusion investigation, a report is prepared by the public prosecutor on the
findings of his investigation.
If no collusion is found, the case proceeds to a pre-trial and your spouse will be
notified again. If he does not appear, the court will proceed with the marking of the
documents, the determination of the number of witnesses, and the schedule of the
trial.
During the trial stage, witnesses will be called. Normally, the witnesses would be
you, a corroborating witness (who knew you and your spouse and what happened to
your marriage), and the psychologist who will testify on the evaluation made. The
public prosecutor representing the government will be allowed to question the
witnesses as well.
After the trial and the offer of the evidence, the case is then submitted for decision.
Note that the presence of the spouse is not necessary in the process. In most
annulment proceedings, in fact, the other party to the marriage does not participate
anymore. This speeds up the process somewhat because if he makes an appearance,
then he will likewise be given the opportunity to present witnesses and evidence.
The uncontested annulment case takes from between 6 months to one year to
complete depending on the calendar of the court, the availability of witnesses and
other issues such as custody or property.

5) If I am abroad, can I still file and pursue an annulment?

Yes. Part of the psychological evaluation can be done by email and the interview can
be done via VOIP, but most psychologists will ask to see the petitioner in person
before releasing the evaluation. Also, after the drafting of the Petition, you may sign
the petition in the presence of a Philippine consul authorized to take oaths nearest
your place of residence. The authenticated documents are then sent back to the
Philippines for filing in court. At a certain point in the proceedings described above,
particularly during the trial stage, you will be required to testify and appear in court.

6) If I am already divorced and married in another country, do I still need to

have my marriage annulled?
It depends. If you were still a Filipino citizen at the time you obtained the divorce
then you will still be required under Philippine laws to obtain an annulment if you
intend to marry again. If you have already changed citizenships, then you may not
need an annulment anymore to get married again. However, a gray area exists when
you are going to remarry another Filipino in the Philippines in which case you may
need to have your divorce recognized in the Philippines first. Another gray area
exists in the case of a dual citizen of the Philippines.
7) What happens to my children and our properties in case of an annulment?
Property relationships are terminated and the assets divided and/or liquidated by the
court, unless the parties can come to an agreement regarding this with the approval
of the court.
As far as custody is concerned, the general rule is joint custody by the husband and
wife unless the children are below 7 years of age in which case presumptive custody
is given to the mother with corresponding visitorial privileges for the father. The
primary consideration however in custody issues is always the best interests of the
child.

8) How much will an annulment cost me?

Ah, at last, the proverbial question. It depends of course on the lawyers that you
choose, the venue of the case ( out of town cases usually entail more costs and
expenses), the issues involved (property and custody issues), the psychologist
selected to do the evaluation, among other considerations.
9) When I file the petition , am I guaranteed to get an annulment?
No, after all there are no guarantees in life. Lawyers as we said earlier are not
allowed to guarantee the outcome of cases and you should beware of those (even
lawyers) who will promise you that you will win because unless the process is tainted
or questionable then there is no way for him to know the outcome. Again, beware of
fixers and scams.

10) Assuming I obtain an annulment and I intend to marry again, what do I

have to show as proof of the annulment?
Usually, most foreign embassies would require what is known as a Certiifcate of No
Marriage (CENOMAR) from the National Statistics Office. After a decision is reached
in an annulment case, copies are sent to the Office of the Solicitor General, the local
civil registrars of the place where the court is sitting and where the marriage
contract was registered, and of course to the parties themselves. After the lapse of
15 days the decision becomes final and a Certificate of Finality is issued by the court
which rendered the decision. This certificate is annotated on the back portion of the
marriage contract on file with the local civil registrar where it was originally recorded
and finally endorsed to the NSO which then issues the CENOMAR.