Problems with NSO Certificates
What is a vital event record?
A vital event record is a legal document entered in the civil register which attests to the occurrence and characteristics of a vital event. Vital events include births, deaths, marriages, among others.
If the first name on my birth certificate is different from the one that I use in all my documents and government IDs, what will I do?
File a petition for a change of first name with the Local Civil Registry Office (LCRO) where your birth was registered. You will be required to submit supporting documents and government clearances, and to publish the petition in a newspaper of general circulation.
My middle name in my birth certificate is spelled wrong. How can I correct it?
You may file a petition for correction of clerical error at the LCRO where your birth was registered. You will be required to submit documents that reflect the correct spelling of your middle name/ mother’s maiden name.
I need to apply for a passport but could not get a copy of my birth certificate from the NSO. I was told that the NSO does not have my birth record on file. What do I need to do?
Apply for late registration at the LCRO of your place of birth. Late registration is a tedious process and will require you to produce supporting documents as proof of your birth details. From the LCRO, your birth record will then be endorsed to the NSO for the issuance of the NSO copy of your birth certificate.
I was born an illegitimate child. My parents got married several years after I was born. Am I now considered legitimate?
Yes. Legitimation occurs when your parents marry, after you were born. But your parents must not have any legal impediment to marry at the time of your birth. You are then considered a legitimate child.
As an illegitimate child, how can I be allowed to use my father's surname even if my parents are not married?
According to RA 9255, an illegitimate child may carry his/ her father’s surname, by filing an Affidavit to Use the Surname of the Father (AUSF) and then have this registered at the LCRO where you were born.
What will I do if I was born female, but registered as male in my birth certificate?
You need to file a case in court for correction of this error.
Correction of errors in entries of citizenship, date of birth, surname, status or gender of the petitioner are not among those errors that can be corrected with the LCRO under RA 9048.
I have a problem with my NSO certificate. Can VERified help me?
We provide a preliminary assessment of your NSO certificate, free of charge. You may send us your questions by email, or post them on our website, blog or Facebook page.
After a preliminary assessment of my NSO certificate, VERified identified my case as a complex one. What can VERified offer me at this point?
Our civil registration counselors will immediately refer this case to a competent lawyer for further study. In the process, the lawyer may require preliminary meetings or interviews for clarification. For a reasonable fee, the lawyer will issue a carefully studied and drafted Legal Opinion. This Legal Opinion shall serve as a guide both to you, as document owner, or your chosen legal counsel.
According to VERified, the error in my birth certificate must be corrected through a court petition. How long will it take? How much will it cost me?
The length of proceedings until the court renders a decision varies and is determined by several factors. We conservatively estimate such a case to go on for at least one year at the Regional Trial Court level.
The cost of services relating to a court case depends on several factors and cannot be determined until after an assessment of a specific case.
Who is a VERifier?
A VERifier is a competent person with substantial experience in civil registration matters, engaged by VERified to handle your documents and facilitate your procedure.
Civil registration cases and procedures are location-specific. These have to be filed in the Local Civil Registrar/Regional Trial Court where the birth, marriage or death is registered. The assigned VERifier will come from the area of the LCRO where the record to be corrected is kept as s/he is to regularly liaise and follow up with the LCRO. You will also have to pay for the per diem and transportation costs of the VERifier for the actual mandays s/he worked on your procedure.
The court granted the annulment of my marriage. What will I do to have this court decree reflected on my CENOMAR and Marriage Certificate?
VERified offers the specialized service to register court decrees and legal instruments on your behalf.
When a court grants a petition of annulment of marriage, the law requires this decree to be registered in the LCRO where the court sits, and also in the LCRO of your place of marriage. This registration will then allow the LCRO to annotate the court decree on your marriage certificate. This will also have to be sent to the NSO, which will then issue your new CENOMAR.
You will also have to pay for the per diem and transportation costs of the VERifier for the actual mandays s/he worked on your procedure.