Translating Philippine birth certificates, marriage certificates and CENOMARs into Japanese: PSA certificates and marriage registration

Sources checked: 31 October 2026

Philippine birth and marriage certificates are also issued by local civil registry offices, but Japanese city offices and the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo ask for ones issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA, formerly the NSO). When you submit them to a Japanese office, each needs a Japanese translation that identifies the translator.

Use certificates issued by the PSA

Musashino City says foreign certificates must be authenticated by their country, and gives the Philippines as an example:

(例：フィリピン共和国の場合、市町村役場発行のものでなくフィリピン統計局(PSA)(旧NSO)発行のもの)

Musashino City: marrying a foreign national (Japanese; for the Philippines, certificates issued by the PSA (formerly the NSO), not by the municipal office)

PSA certificate	Main uses in this page's sources
Certificate of Live Birth	Applying to the Philippine Embassy for the Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (LCCM). Some city offices also ask for a birth certificate with the marriage registration
Certificate of Marriage	Reporting a marriage made in the Philippines to Japan. LCCM applications from people who were married before (with an annotation of the divorce or other event)
CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage Record)	Proof that there is no record of marriage. LCCM applications from people marrying for the first time (the Philippine Embassy asks for one issued within six months)
Advisory on Marriages	The marriage records and their annotations. LCCM applications from people who are divorced, whose marriage was annulled or whose spouse died (issued within six months). Iwakuni City lists it (婚姻記録証明書) for remarriages where the LCCM can't be obtained
Death Certificate	LCCM applications from people whose Filipino spouse died
Report of Birth	The record of a child born outside the Philippines, reported to a Philippine embassy or consulate. A child born in Japan is reported to the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo (or a consulate) within one year of birth. The PSA also issues this record

The Philippine Embassy asks for these PSA certificates with an apostille from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). It also asks applicants to make sure the details on the CENOMAR or Advisory on Marriages match the birth certificate.

Before the marriage registration: the Philippine Embassy's LCCM

For a marriage under Japanese law, the city office asks for the foreign partner's certificate of legal capacity to marry (婚姻要件具備証明書). For Filipinos, the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo issues the Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (LCCM).

A Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage (LCCM) is issued ONLY to Filipinos presently residing in Japan who wish to get married to a foreign national.

Philippine Embassy in Tokyo: Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage / Certification (LCCM)

The main documents the Embassy lists for a single Filipino applicant marrying for the first time:

A valid passport and residence card (originals and copies)
A PSA birth certificate with a DFA apostille (original and copy)
A PSA CENOMAR with a DFA apostille (original and copy, issued within six months)
For applicants aged 18 to 20, an Affidavit of Parental Consent; aged 21 to 25, an Affidavit of Parental Advice

Applicants who are divorced, whose marriage was annulled or whose spouse died submit an Advisory on Marriages instead of a CENOMAR, and are also asked for the previous marriage certificate (annotated), the court decision or the spouse's death certificate. A Japanese partner brings a family register (戸籍謄本) issued within three months (and earlier registers such as 改製原戸籍 or 除籍謄本 if it doesn't show previous marriages), a passport and other items.

The marriage registration at the city office, and Japanese translations

City offices list documents like these for a Filipino partner (for a marriage under Japanese law):

City	Documents listed
Nagahama City, Shiga	The certificate of legal capacity to marry issued by the Philippine consulate in Japan, with a Japanese translation naming the translator. Passport and residence card. For a remarriage, a certificate showing the divorce, with a translation
Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi	For a first marriage, the certificate of legal capacity issued by the Embassy in Japanese, and proof of nationality (passport) with a translation. For a remarriage where the divorce isn't finalised in the Philippines and the certificate can't be obtained: proof that the previous marriage ended, written declarations, the Advisory on Marriages, proof of nationality and a birth certificate
Musashino City, Tokyo	The certificate of legal capacity and proof of nationality (a passport is fine), each with a Japanese translation that names the translator. Philippine certificates issued by the PSA (formerly the NSO)

届書に添付する書類その他市町村長に提出する書類で外国語によつて作成されたものについては、翻訳者を明らかにした訳文を添付しなければならない。

Family Register Act Enforcement Regulations, Art. 63 (documents in a foreign language must be accompanied by a translation that identifies the translator)

The Ministry of Justice says every foreign-language document needs a Japanese translation stating who translated it, and that the translator may be the applicant (「翻訳者は本人でもかまいません」). Iwakuni City says the Embassy's certificate is issued in Japanese, while Nagahama City asks for a Japanese translation of it. Ask the office you'll file with which documents need a translation.

If you married in the Philippines, or a child was born

If you married under Philippine law, report the marriage within three months to a Japanese embassy or consulate in the Philippines or a city office in Japan, with the marriage certificate and a Japanese translation (see the marriage registration guide). Musashino City asks for a PSA certificate in this case too.

When a Japanese national's child is born in the Philippines, file the birth registration within three months with a Japanese translation of the birth certificate. A child who also acquired Philippine nationality at birth needs a declaration to retain Japanese nationality within the same deadline (see the guide to birth registration and retaining nationality). Ask the office you'll file with whether a PSA birth certificate or one from the local civil registry office is needed.

To report a child born in Japan to the Philippine side (Report of Birth), the Philippine Embassy asks for the report within one year of birth, with the city office's certificate of the birth registration (出生届の記載事項証明書) and the Filipino parent's PSA birth certificate, among other documents.

Divorce and remarriage

According to the Philippine Embassy, there is no divorce in the Philippines. If a foreign spouse validly obtains a divorce abroad, the Filipino spouse can also remarry under Philippine law, but first a Philippine court must recognise the foreign divorce (Judicial Recognition of Foreign Divorce).

There is no divorce in the Philippines, but when a divorce is validly obtained abroad by an alien spouse from his or her Filipino spouse, the Filipino spouse shall have the capacity to remarry under Philippine law.

Philippine Embassy in Tokyo: Judicial Recognition of Foreign Divorce

A recognised divorce is entered as an annotation on the PSA marriage certificate (or Report of Marriage) and on the Advisory on Marriages. For a divorced Filipino's LCCM application, the Embassy asks for the annotated marriage certificate, the court's decision recognising the divorce with its Certificate of Finality, and the Advisory on Marriages.

Chiba City gives the Philippines as an example of a country that doesn't recognise divorce by agreement (協議離婚), and says that if a national of such a country has registered the marriage at home, a divorce under Japanese law doesn't remove that registration unless a court in their country grants a divorce.

Residence status and permanent residence

For a spouse's residence status, you submit a marriage certificate issued by an authority of the applicant's country of nationality, and foreign-language documents need a translation (see the guide to dependant and spouse residence status). Permanent residence applications also need translations of foreign-language documents.

What we tested

We've tested PSA-format birth and marriage certificates and Reports of Birth with our service (October 2026), as well as CENOMARs and Advisories on Marriages.

Questions

Is the CENOMAR attached to the marriage registration?

The CENOMAR is a document the Philippine Embassy asks for when it issues the LCCM. The city office guidance checked for this page asks for the certificate of legal capacity for a Filipino partner, and none lists the CENOMAR itself as an attachment to the marriage registration. Check your office's guidance.

Can I use a birth certificate issued by the local civil registry office?

Musashino City asks for one issued by the PSA, not the municipal office. The Philippine Embassy's LCCM application also asks for PSA certificates.

How long is a CENOMAR valid?

For LCCM applications, the Philippine Embassy accepts a CENOMAR or Advisory on Marriages issued within six months. Time limits for documents attached to a marriage registration differ by office. Nagahama City asks for a certificate of legal capacity within its expiry date if it has one, otherwise as recent as possible.

Can I translate the documents myself?

The Ministry of Justice says the translator may be the applicant. Musashino City says anyone may translate, but the translation must name the translator. Some offices also ask for the translator's signature, seal or address.

This page is general information. The documents required and the format of translations differ by country and office, and can change. Check the current guidance of the office you are submitting to before you file.