Philippine Report of Birth and Report of Marriage from Florida: what actually needs an apostille

A Report of Birth records a child born abroad to a Filipino parent in the Philippine civil registry. A Report of Marriage does the same for a marriage involving a Filipino citizen. Both are filed with the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., whose Report of Birth page lists Florida in its jurisdiction, along with Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Applications go by mail only.

The Philippines joined the Apostille Convention on May 14, 2019 (HCCH status table). The Embassy's apostille page says it doesn't apostille documents or issue "red ribbon" certificates, and that an apostilled document is recognized in the Philippines. English is an official language there, so Florida documents don't need translation.

From the Embassy's current checklist, the core file is:

• A cover letter and the Report of Birth form in four notarized originals, typed or printed.
• The child's Florida birth certificate: one original and four photocopies. No apostille is listed for it.
• Photocopies of both parents' passports, the Filipino parent's proof of current citizenship, and the child's ID.
• If the parents were married at the birth, the PSA-issued Philippine marriage certificate. If they married later, a Joint Affidavit of Legitimation and each Filipino parent's CENOMAR.
• If the birth is reported more than a year late, a notarized Affidavit of Delayed Registration.

The part that needs apostilles. When the parents weren't married and the father acknowledges paternity, the Embassy asks for the Affidavit of Admission of Paternity (executed by the father) and the Affidavit to Use the Surname of the Father (executed by the mother for a child under 7, by the child attested by the mother from 7 to 17, by the child at 18 or older). Each is submitted as four originals, every one notarized and apostilled.

Let's be straight with you about the math: if both affidavits are signed before a Florida notary, that's eight apostilles. At $160 each for three or more, that's $1,280 on our side, plus notarization. Have every original notarized with a complete Florida certificate the first time, because a defect is multiplied by four.

Embassy fees (money orders to "Embassy of the Philippines"): $25 Report of Birth processing, $25 Certificate of Registration of Legal Instrument when an AAP or AUSF is executed, and $10 optional expedited release.

The Embassy's Report of Marriage checklist asks for:

• The Report of Marriage form in four notarized originals.
• The Florida marriage certificate: one original and four photocopies. If it doesn't show civil status, a government document showing civil status or number of prior marriages. No apostille is listed.
• The Filipino spouse's PSA birth certificate, both passports, and proof of Filipino citizenship.
• For prior marriages: a foreign spouse's divorce decree (four photocopies) or death certificate; for a Filipino spouse previously divorced or annulled, the judicial decree with a Philippine court's Certificate of Finality and the annotated PSA marriage certificate.
• A notarized Affidavit of Delayed Registration if more than a year has passed. The page says there's no monetary penalty for late registration.

The fee is $25, plus $10 for expedited release. Your Florida marriage certificate still has to be a proper certified copy, signed by the State Registrar or a Clerk of the County Court.

• Recognizing a Florida divorce. The Embassy's FAQ explains that a foreign divorce involving a Filipino spouse must be judicially enforced or confirmed by a Regional Trial Court in the Philippines. Your lawyer there needs the Florida final judgment certified by the Clerk of Court (original wet-ink or the clerk's official e-certification), then apostilled. See court records for apostille.
• Special powers of attorney for land, bank or estate matters. You can sign before a Philippine consular officer in person, or before a Florida notary with a Florida apostille. Our online notarization lets you sign by video and never ship paper: $40 for the first document ($10 notarization fee + $30 technology platform fee), $20 for each additional one.
• Any document a Philippine office asks for "apostilled": schools, the PRC, banks. If they say it in writing, believe them.

Even where no apostille is required, the Embassy wants originals, so get the right certified copy:

• Birth certificates come from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics or a county health department, signed by the State Registrar. If paternity was added after the birth, order the amended certificate. See birth certificate for the Philippines.
• Marriage certificates come from the Bureau or the clerk of the county where the license was issued. See marriage certificate for the Philippines.
• If you do need an apostille on a vital record, we don't accept copies certified before 2014, because the signature on file must be the current State Registrar's. Order through VitalChek.
• The AAP and AUSF are notarized documents. Each original needs a complete Florida notarial certificate: venue, date, signer's name, ID method, notary's signature and seal. See the state's sample certificates and our notarized documents guide.

• Paying for apostilles the checklist doesn't list. The Florida birth or marriage certificate itself usually isn't on the apostille list. Check before you order.
• One notarization for four originals. Each AAP and AUSF original is a separate signed document with its own notarial certificate and its own apostille. Photocopies of a notarized original don't count.
• The wrong signer on the AUSF. Who signs depends on the child's age. A form signed by the mother for a 9-year-old won't match the Embassy's rule.
• Signing remotely without asking. A Florida online notary can notarize the affidavits by video, and we can apostille them. Confirm with the Embassy first that it accepts remotely notarized originals for your report.

The Embassy says complete, accurate applications are processed in the order received and dispatched within 3 to 5 business days; incomplete ones may be returned. A PSA copy can be requested six months after approval, using transmittal details from the DFA Consular Records Division.

Pricing on our side: $220 for one document, $380 for two, and $160 each for three or more. Certified-copy fees and notarization are extra. International return shipping is a flat $100 per order.