What is a dependent?

A dependent is a child below 18 years of age, whether legitimate, illegitimate, or adopted.

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Will my foreign spouse, who will travel with me to the Philippines, be required to secure additional travel documents from the Philippine Consulate before leaving?

The answer would depend on the intended period of stay in the Philippines and if the spouse is a visa-required national under the Philippine visa regulation. Foreign spouse (as well as children) included in the visa waiver category may avail of the Balikbayan-Program for stays of up to one (1) year. Otherwise, they would need to apply for an appropriate visa.

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Can my spouse, who is not a former Filipino, live in the Philippines?

An immigrant visa may be issued to a Filipino citizen’s foreign spouse which entitles him/her to permanently reside in the Philippines. The visa may be obtained by applying at the Philippine Consulate General. The effectivity of the visa, however, is contingent upon the Filipino citizen’s retention of his/her Filipino citizenship.

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Can I now reside in the Philippines?

Having retained/reacquired your Philippine citizenship, you can reside in the Philippines for as long as you want without having to apply for entry visa and paying immigration fees. You can choose to retire or permanently settle in the Philippines.

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Is physical presence mandatory for consular notarization?

Yes. Personal appearance of the signatory or signatories is a requirement for consular notarization. If the signatory is unable to visit the Consulate and appear personally for consular notarization, another option is to have the document notarized by a US notary public and have it apostilled in the State Department.

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Who is eligible for Remote Notarization?

Remote notarization is reserved only to those who live in areas within our consular jurisdiction, which are under a state of emergency or public health crisis. For more information on Remote Notarization, please click here: https://newyorkpcg.org/pcgny/remote-notarization/

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What are the documents that can be notarized at the Philippine Consulate?

Affidavits, Special Powers of Attorney, General Powers of Attorney, Certifications, Contracts to Sell, Deeds of Donation, Deeds of Absolute Sale, Bank Forms/ Signature Cards, Insurance Forms, NBI Clearance Applications, GSIS/ SSS Forms, Extra-Judicial Settlements, List Items, Au Pair Agreements. The Consulate no longer authenticates the signatures of public documents notarized by any US notary public or signed/issued/certified by a Federal, State, County, City, university or school official since 15 May 2019. To use these types of documents in the Philippines, these will only require an Apostille Certificate issued by competent U.S. authorities. Please click here for information on how to obtain an Apostille Certificate: https://newyorkpcg.org/pcgny/consular-services/legalization-notarization/authentication-of-a-public-document-through-apostille/

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What is an Apostille?

An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document. It is issued by a country that is party to the Apostille Convention to be used in another country which is also a party to the Convention.  The United States is a party to the Convention and the Philippines also acceded to the Convention on 14 May 2019.

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