Hi Folks, I'm now deep into the planning of the documentation requirements for marriage. I know the UK CNI is valid for 3 months in the Philippines, and the consular CNI (obtained from the British Embassy) similarly 3 months. However... is this the same 3 month period or can you "daisy chain"? I.e. with good timing good is it possibly to almost exhaust the validity of the UK CNI, exchange it for a consular CNI at the British Embassy (Manila) and get another 3 months? So for e.g. (dates hypothetical) UK CNI Issued: 01/01/2013 Exchanged for Consular CNI in Manila: 30/03/2013 Consular CNI Valid until: 30/06/2013 Is that how it works or would the Consular CNI simply be valid until 01/04/2013 upon exchange? Thanks... phew... lots of documents to think about for a church wedding
As far as I remember it is indeed an exchange. So you submit your CNI obtained in the UK and in exchange you are given a local CNI at the embassy in the Philippines. I guess that answers the question? I don't recall getting the UK CNI back from the embassy when we collected the local CNI. So I suppose it is effectively a case of daisy chaining. No doubt Mr Micawber or someone else will confirm that. ( I didnt pay an awful lot attention to the expiry dates as from the time of collecting my UK CNI to getting married was something like 4 weeks )
If memory serves me correctly, one simply replaced the other. That said, I was all over the place at the time so I might be wrong..
Okay, awesome help, thanks guys Followup question... do any of you know about the banns process (I've asked the Deacon at my local church this question too). My understanding is that banns are supposed to be published at the groom's parish and the bride's parish independently. Upon completion these two certificates are then presented along with the marriage license (and other docs) to the marrying church. Does this match everyone else's understanding? Are there any pre-requisites to the publishing of banns and does the certificate have a validity period? We have received conflicting info from the church, vs. the civil procedure (publication is part of the marriage license process and is not done distinctly for the two parties). We're just a little confused at the moment Thanks again everyone, this forum is great (does that help me get an answer? ).
Our marriage was a civil marriage. They just posted notice on the parish noticeboard here in the Isle of Man for our marriage in the Philippines before they issued the UK CNI. My wife's presence wasn't required here for that.
Independantly of the CNI application in the UK, your fiancee will need a CENOMAR ( certificate of no marriage ) that she should apply to the NSO in the Philippines for. It can all be done online and I think you will also need one too - I didn't but I think the rules have changed.
Warning!! A Micawber long-winded explanation is ahead. Why? Because there's no current definitive 'published' answer to satisfy your question. There are however a number of different regulations that when 'added together' give a reasonable indication of time periods to follow in order to avoid delays and challenges in the process of getting wed. A CNI issued in Scotland is valid for 3 months only A CNI issued in England, Wales or Northern Ireland has no specific validity under British Law. This is the sticking point. Some folks will tell you it's valid for 3 months others will tell you 6 months and other will state the non-validity under British Law. Bear in mind that a 'local' CNI is the one required under Philippine Law in order to secure a Marriage Licence. The validity of the Philippine version CNI is 3 months from DATE OF ISSUE Here's the thing, the staff at the British Embassy are the ones who decide the DATE OF ISSUE and it's difficult to pin them down. Sometimes the Embassy takes the view that the DATE OF ISSUE of the CNI in Philippines will be the same as the original date signed by the Registrar in the UK. Unless issued in replacement of a Scottish CNI (valid for 3 months), in which case the local Philippine CNI will issued from Consulate DATE OF ISSUE. Means 'daisy-chained'. The British Embassy usually insist that all formal Philippine certificates (birth, marriage, death and no marriage etc) must be obtained from the National Statistics Office (NSO) and must have been issued within 3 months of your appointment. This then leads to an understanding that ALL such documents should be presented with that 3 month window. Under 'normal' conditions there has not been any issues since most folks actually secure a marriage licence pretty quickly following the issue of CNI from the Embassy. Which prompts the question, why do think you need maximum validity from both CNI versions? Just curious really. Seriously though, your very best option is to ask the British Embassy to confirm in writing exactly what DATE OF ISSUE they WILL use when they give you the all important Phillippine CNI. Might be interesting to ask if the procedure they follow is the same for all countries.Why? Because CNI validity is not the same in all countries. Sorry if that appears to be a avoiding the question. Previously I would have suggested UK CNI to be used with 3 months, with the Philippine CNI dated on the actual day of issue at the Embassy. (ie daisy-chained) and then to be used within 3 months. But the latest advice from the British Embassy on this subject is not so specific/precise. Oh, by the way, here's the other 'oddity', the Philippine CNI must be USED within 3 months. Means that it must be used to secure a marriage licence within 3 months. Doesn't mean you must be married within 3 months. No. The marriage licence, once obtained, is valid for 120 days anywhere within the Philippines from date of issue. See, told you it was long.
