Are you planning to get married in Taiwan? If you are a Filipino who is engaged to a fellow Pinoy, a Taiwanese/Chinese, or a foreign national — keep in mind that you’ll need to register or report your marriage to the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), the representative office of the Philippines to Taiwan.
Reporting your marriage to MECO is the first step to having it recognized under Philippine laws. Your legal status in the Philippines shall be changed from single to married, and your marriage will be part of the country’s public records.
Guide to Registering Your Marriage in Taiwan
In Taiwan, anyone who is planning to get married must apply first at the Taiwan Household Registration Office. These include foreign nationals such as Filipinos and other nationalities who intend to get married in the country.
After getting married, the next step for Filipinos is to report their marriage to the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), so that the marriage would be recognized under Philippine laws.
Documentary Requirements
Based on the MECO official website, here are the lists of documents that are required for Report of Marriage. The lists vary slightly for marriages between: two Filipinos, a Filipino and a Taiwanese/Chinese national; and a Filipino and a non-Taiwanese/non-Chinese national .
Furthermore, additional documents may be required based on the marrying parties’ citizenship, legal status, and eligibility for marriage under the laws of the Philippines.
For Marriages Between Two Filipinos
- Duly accomplished Report of Marriage Form;
- Certificate of Marriage from the Household Registration Office (English version, 5 copies – 1 original, 4 photocopies);
- Valid Philippine Passport of each party (plus 5 photocopies);
- PSA Birth Certificate of each party (5 copies – 1 original, 4 photocopies);
- Certificate of No Marriage (CeNoMar) of each party (5 copies – 1 original, 4 photocopies); and
- Taiwan ARC of each party (plus 1 photocopy).
For Marriages Between Filipino and Taiwanese/Chinese
- Duly accomplished Report of Marriage Form;
- Certificate of Marriage from the Household Registration Office (English version, 5 copies – 1 original, 4 photocopies);
- Valid Passport of each party – Taiwanese Passport of Taiwanese party, Philippine Passport of Filipino party (plus 5 photocopies);
- Filipino party’s PSA Birth Certificate (5 copies – 1 original, 4 photocopies );
- Filipino party’s Certificate of No Marriage (CeNoMar) (5 copies – 1 original, 4 photocopies); and
- Filipino party’s Taiwan ARC (plus 1 photocopy).
For Marriages Between Filipino and Non-Taiwanese/Non-Chinese
- Duly accomplished Report of Marriage Form;
- Certificate of Marriage from the Household Registration Office (English version, 5 copies – 1 original, 4 photocopies);
- Valid Passport of each party (plus 5 photocopies);
- Filipino party’s PSA Birth Certificate (5 copies – 1 original, 4 photocopies);
- Filipino party’s Certificate of No Marriage (CeNoMar) (5 copies – 1 original, 4 photocopies); and
Taiwan ARC of each party (plus 1 photocopy).
NOTES: For all of the above cases, ALL 5 COPIES of the Certificate of Marriage must be notarized by the Local District Court or Notary Public and authenticated by the Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).
In addition, an Affidavit of Delayed Report of Marriage is required if the filing of application is made one year after the marriage.
Additional Requirements
In cases where one or both parties are widows/widowers, or have previous marriages that have been annulled/divorced — the following additional requirements must be submitted to MECO if they are planning to get married again:
For Widows/Widowers
- Certified true copy of the Marriage Certificate between the widow/widower and the deceased spouse, as issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) (plus 5 photocopies); and
- Certified true copy of the Death Certificate of the deceased spouse, as issued by the PSA (plus 5 photocopies).
For Filipinos with Annulled Marriages
Filipinos whose previous marriages have been legally annulled in the Philippines need to bring a certified true copy of their PSA Marriage Certificate or Report of Marriage from their previous marriage. This document should reflect an annotation regarding the declaration of nullity by a Philippine court. Five (5) copies of this document must be submitted to MECO.
For Filipinos who are Divorced
Other than the standard requirements for Report of Marriage, Filipinos who are divorced need to bring the certified true copy of their PSA Marriage Certificate or Report of Marriage from their previous marriage. This document should reflect an annotation, indicating that the foreign divorce decree is recognized by a Philippine court. This document must be submitted in five (5) copies to the MECO office.
Procedure for Report of Marriage
As mentioned earlier, after the couple has registered their marriage with the Taiwan Household Registration Office, they need to report it to the MECO office. For hassle-free scheduling and transactions, they are encouraged to book an appointment first through the MECO Appointment System. They also need to choose whether they will be filing their application at the MECO main office in Taipei, or at the extension office in Taichung or Kaohsiung.
On the appointed date and time, the couple must bring all of the necessary documents to MECO. The processing of Report of Marriage should take around one (1) hour at the office. As of this writing, the processing fee for this service is TWD 1,000.
After Getting Report of Marriage, What’s Next?
As soon as the Report of Marriage is issued by MECO, copies of this document shall be transmitted to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for review, and eventually forwarded to the PSA. After around six (6) to eight (8) months from the time of issuance, the couple can apply for a certified true copy of the document from the PSA.
Contact Information: MECO Main Office
If you have any questions or concerns regarding Report of Marriage in Taiwan, do not hesitate to get in touch with the MECO main office through the following contact details:
Address: 2F, Chang Hong New Era Building, 55 & 57 Zhouzi St., Neihu District, Taipei, Taiwan
Telephone: +886 2 2658 8825
Website: https://www.meco.org.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MECO.official
Google Map:
Of course, after getting married, having children is probably the next thing on your mind. Before that time comes, you can start preparing yourselves by reading about how to register a child’s birth in Taiwan.