Administrative Correction in the Civil Register Entries

Filipinos abroad may file a petition before the Consulate to correct a clerical or typographical errors and change of first name or nickname, the day and month in the date of birth or sex of a person  in the Civil Register Entries of the Consulate without need of a judicial order.

For those Civil Registry Entries not recorded by this Consulate, you can file your petition with the Civil Registry Section of the concerned Consulate/Embassy or Local Civil Registrar. Please check here the Embassy or Consulate that has jurisdiction.

For more information on how to correct civil registry entries contact the Philippine Statistics Authority Civil Registration Department:

3rd Floor Vibal Building
Times Street cor. EDSA, West Triangle
Quezon City, 1104
Telephone: (02) 926-7333
Fax: (02) 926-7329 / 926-9973 E-Mail: L.Hufana@census.gov.ph

 WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT THE PETITIONER THAT NEEDS TO COMPLY WITH?

For Change of First Name:

  •  The petitioner finds the first name or nickname to be ridiculous, tainted with dishonor or extremely difficult to write or pronounce;
  • The new first name or nickname has been habitually and continuously used by the petitioner and he has been publicly known by that first name or nickname in the community; or
  • The change will avoid confusion.
  • Petition for Change of First Name – form (click here).

For Correction of Clerical/Typographical Error:

WHO MAY FILE THE PETITION?

Whether it is for correction of clerical or typographical error, or for change of first name, the petition may be filed by a person above 18 years of age and must have a direct and personal interest in the correction of the error or in the change of first name in the civil register.

Only the following persons are considered to have a direct and personal interest in the correction of clerical error or change of first name:

  • Owner of the record that contains the error to be corrected or first name to be changed.
  • Owner’s spouse, children, parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, guardian, or any other person duly authorized by law or by the owner of the document sought to be corrected.

WHAT SHOULD BE THE FORM AND CONTENT OF THE PETITION?

The petition, whether it is for correction of clerical error or for a change of first name, should be accomplished properly and in the prescribed form.

The law requires that the petition should be in the form of an affidavit, hence, it should be subscribed and sworn to before a person authorized to administer oath.

Note that the Petition and its supporting documents must be filed in triplicate/three copies.

WHAT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED FOR CORRECTING A CLERICAL OR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR IN A CIVIL REGISTRY DOCUMENT?

The petition shall not be processed unless the petitioner supports it with the required documents. The supporting documents should be authentic and genuine; otherwise, the petition shall be denied or disapproved. The following supporting documents are admissible as basic requirements:

  • Certified machine copy of the certificate containing the alleged erroneous entry or entries.
  • Not less than 2 public or private documents upon which the correction shall be based. Examples of these documents are the following: baptismal certificate, voter’s affidavit, employment record, GSIS/SSS record, medical record, school record, business record, driver’s license, insurance, land titles, certificate of land transfer, bank passbook, NBI/police clearance, civil registry records of ascendants, and others.
  • Certified machine copy of the Official Receipt of the filing fee.
  • For correction of sex, the additional documents are:
    • medical certification issued by an accredited government physician that the petitioner has not undergone sex change or sex transplant.
    • Affidavit of publication from the publisher and a copy of the newspaper clipping.
  • For correction of day and/or month in the date of birth, the additional documents are:
    • Clearance from authorities such as clearance from employer, if employed; the National Bureau of Investigation; the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies where person whose day and/or month in the date of birth is erroneous resides.
    • Affidavit of publication from the publisher and a copy of the newspaper clipping.

WHAT ARE THE SUPPORTING PAPERS FOR CHANGE OF FIRST NAME?

As in the case of correction of clerical error, no petition for change of first name shall be accepted unless the petitioner submits the required supporting papers, as follows:

  • All the documents required of the petitioner for the correction of clerical error shall also be required of the petitioner for change of first name.
  • Clearance from authorities such as clearance from employer, if employed; the National Bureau of Investigation; the Philippine National Police and other law enforcement agencies where person whose name is being changed resides.
  • The Consulate’s Civil Registry Section may require additional supporting papers.
  •  An affidavit of publication from the publisher and copy of the newspaper clippings should be attached.

HOW MUCH IS THE FILING FEE FOR THE PETITION?

The fees are the same for all Philippine Consulates. The fees are the following:

  • Fifty U.S. dollars ($50.00) for the correction of clerical or typographical error.
  • One hundred fifty U.S. dollars ($150.00) for the change of first name.

SEE THESE RELATED LINKS:

for more information, email us at: correct.registry@philippineconsulatela.org