Civil Registration

What is Civil Registration?

Civil Registration is a continuous, permanent, and compulsory recording of vital events occurring in the life of an individual such as birth, marriage, and death, as well as all court decrees, and legal instruments affecting his civil status in appropriate registers as mandated by Act No. 3753, the Civil Registry Law.

What are the uses of civil registry documents?

Basically, there are two uses:

1.     Legally, these records establish the occurrence of birth, death, or marriage, and therefore provide prima facie evidence of facts surrounding these events.

Birth records present many facts about an individual such as the person’s name, date and place of birth, parents, religion, and citizenship, among others. The marriage certificate establishes a change in civil status and the legal spouse, while the death certificate records the passing away of an individual. These records are important in legal and personal transactions, applying for jobs, obtaining passports for travel, entrance to school, claiming insurance benefits, and in others.

2.     Statistically, these records provide data on the number of births, deaths, marriages, fetal deaths, adoptions, and the like, which in turn are essential in development planning.

What must be registered?

Registrable vital events are:

·         Birth

·         Death

·         Fetal Death

·         Marriage

Who should report the event?

Birth

·         The administrator of the hospital, clinic or similar institution where the birth occurred;

·         The physician, midwife, or any person who attended the delivery of the child; or

·         In default of the hospital or clinic administrator or attendant-at-birth, either or both the child’s parents may report the event.

Marriage

·         The solemnizing officer or the person officiating the marriage (such as priest, judge, imam, and the likes); or

·         In default of the solemnizing officer, either or both of the contracting parties in marriage may report the event.

Death

·         The administrator (or his authorized representative) of the hospital, clinic or similar institution where the person died;

·         The person who last attended the deceased (such as physician, nurse, midwife, faith healer, or other persons) when the place of death is not in a hospital, clinic or similar institution.

·         The nearest relative of the deceased person or any person who has knowledge of the facts of death, when there is no attendant-at-death or the place of death is not in the hospital, clinic or similar institution. 

When should an event be registered?

Birth, death and fetal death should be reported to the office of the Civil Registrar where the event transpired, not later than thirty (30) days from occurrence.

Marriages exempted from the license requirement should be reported to the Office of the Civil Registrar not later than thirty (30) days from the date of marriage.

On the other hand, marriages that require licenses should be reported to the Office of the Civil Registrar not later fifteen (15) days after the date of marriage.

Events not registered within the period stated above are considered late or delayed registration.

Source: NSO-NCR District Office