Civil Registry- Checklist of Requirements as of 08 January 2024

Who and what to Report

Filipino citizens in Switzerland are required to report the vital events that happened to them at the Philippine Embassy in Berne using the forms prescribed by the Philippine Government. Vital events are births, marriages, and deaths. Filipino citizens include children born to a Filipino parent even if such births occurred in a foreign country or if the other parent is a foreign citizen.

The Report of Birth (ROB), Report of Marriage (ROM), and Report of Death (ROD) serve as the corresponding report of the vital events that happened and were already registered in Switzerland or in another country. They are permanent files of the Philippine Government of vital events that occurred to Filipinos abroad.

The Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate and/or Death Certificate of Filipinos (Geburtsschein / Certificat de naissance/ Certificato di Nascita / Extract d' naissance / (Eheschein / Certificat de mariage / Certificato di matrimonio / Extract d' Marriage / Sterbeurkunde / Totenschein) abroad issued to them by the concerned Civil Registry Office of the country where the event took place is the basis and one of the primary requirements for the filing of the Filipino’s ROB, ROM and/or ROD. (Note: The Embassy will not accept the Family book or family registration or similar document since there is no equivalent of these documents in the Philippines.) They must be filed within one (1) year from the date when the vital event happened. ROB, ROM and/or ROD filed one (1) year after the vital event took place would require the filing of an Affidavit of Delayed Registration of Birth or Marriage.

Note that only vital events that happened to Filipino citizens must be reported. The Embassy reserves the right to determine if the report/s can be filed depending on whether the event/s occurred when the applicants are Filipino citizens, are still Filipino citizens, or have already reacquired their Philippine citizenship when the vital events occurred.

The details in the ROB and ROM are the basis for the personal details used in the Philippine Passport issued to Filipino citizens. For more details on the Philippine passport, please view the Passport webpage of the Embassy.

For entries with special characters, please indicate the entries as is and how it appears in the primary document. Transliteration of special characters (such as Ä/ä to AE/ae or Ü/ü to UE/ue) are only done in the Philippine passport and not in the Civil Registry documents.

The names format shall follow the naming convention of the Philippines. Please view this link for the Info Sheet. (NAMES FORMAT UNDER PHILIPPINE LAWS)

Where to file

The filing of ROBs, ROMs and/or RODs is jurisdictional in character. Births, Marriages and/or Death of Filipino citizens that happened in Switzerland (except for the Cantons of Geneva and Vaud) and Liechtenstein must be filed at the Philippine Embassy in Berne.

Vital events that took place in the Cantons of Geneva and Vaud must be filed at the Philippine Consulate General in Geneva. Their contact details are as follows:

The Philippine Consulate General in Geneva

Address: Allee David-Morse 14, 1202 Geneva
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: https://genevapcg.dfa.gov.ph/  

Tel. No.: +41 (02) 22 716 1930
Mobile No.: +41 (0) 79 136 9114

Filipinos in Switzerland whose vital events were not reported in the country where the event/s took place must contact the Philippine Embassy or Consulate / Consulate General concerned for the reporting of the said vital events. The Directory of the Philippine Foreign Service Posts (Embassies, Consulates, Consulate General) may be viewed from here. Please contact them directly for the requirements and procedure for the filing of the necessary report/s prior to contacting the Philippine Embassy in Berne.

The filled-out forms, together with the complete requirements, must be sent by email to the Civil Registry Section (bernepe.civilregistry@dfa.gov.ph) for pre-assessment. After the pre-assessment, the Civil Registry Section will inform the applicant/s regarding the actual submission of the documents to the Embassy. The applicant/s must personally appear at the Embassy to submit the documents.

Where the reports are deposited permanently

ROB, ROM, and/or ROD filed at the Philippine Embassy or Consulate / Consulate General with jurisdiction over the place where the vital event took place is the equivalent of the Birth Certificate (BC), Marriage Certificate (MC), and/or Death Certificate (DC) issued by the Philippine Local Civil Registrar (LCR).

ROBs, ROMs, and RODs filed at the Embassy are transmitted to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA, formerly National Statistics Office [NSO]) through the Department of Foreign Affairs – Office of Consular Affairs (DFA-OCA).

The PSA is the repository of the civil registry records in the Philippines. Only the PSA can issue an authenticated civil registry record. All requests for PSA-authenticated civil registry records must be directed to the PSA through their website. The Embassy can only certify as true copy (CTC) an ROB, ROM and/or ROD which was filed at the Philippine Embassy in Berne.

For questions on ROBs, ROMs, and/or RODs such as transmittal details of reports which have been filed previously with the Philippine Embassies or Consulates / Consulates General, please contact the DFA-OCA Consular Records Division (CRD) webpage for information or contact them through their details.

Please check below this page for the downloadable forms.

How to correct entries in the Civil Registry

Names in the Philippine Civil Registry shall follow the naming convention of the Philippines.

If there are corrections in the entries to be made in the Philippine Civil Registry record/s, the correction of the said entries may be done through the following:

• For correction of clerical errors - by filing a petition for the correction of clerical error either with:

• • The Office of the Local Civil Registrar in the Philippines where the vital event was registered, or

• • At the Philippine Embassy or Consulate / Consulate General

Note that Section 2 of the Republic Act (RA) No. 9048 as amended by RA 10172  states that:

“(3) ‘Clerical or typographical error’ refers to a mistake committed in the performance of clerical work in writing, copying, transcribing or typing an entry in the civil register that is harmless and innocuous, such as misspelled name or misspelled place of birth, mistake in the entry of day and month in the date of birth or the sex of the person or the like, which is visible to the eyes or obvious to the understanding, and can be corrected or changed only by reference to other existing record or records: Provided, however, That no correction must involve the change of nationality, age, or status of the petitioner.”

• For corrections other than due to clerical error – by filing a petition for special proceedings with the competent court in the Philippines.

Article 376 Republic Act (RA) No. 386 or The Civil Code of the Philippines states that “No person can change his name or surname without judicial authority.” Thus, to change a given name and/or, for married Philippine women, revert to their Maiden Surname from Married Surname needs judicial authority from the competent court in the Philippines.

Concerned applicants are advised to secure the services of a lawyer in the Philippines to undertake this. For related information on judicial recognition in the Philippines of foreign decrees (e.g., adoption and/or divorce), please view this.

For more information on correcting entries in the Civil Registry, please view this Info Sheet. (CORRECTION OF ENTRIES IN THE CIVIL REGISTRY) 

DOWNLOADABLE FORMS

Birth:

• Report of Birth Application Form

Additional requirements / forms in case of:

• • Registration after one year from the birth of the child – Affidavit of delayed registration of birth
  • Child born not within a valid marriage, and child will use the surname of the father:
• • • Affidavit of Acknowledgement of Paternity and Consent to Use the Surname of the Father (APP-AUSF) - biological father of the child to sign
    • Affidavit to Use Surname of the Father (AUSF) - biological mother of the child to accomplish (for adult, in the absence of the mother, adult applicant to sign

Note that under Philippine laws and regulations, a child born to a married Filipino woman and her partner (not her legal husband) cannot bear the surname of the biological father. The child will bear, as his/her surname, the surname of the legal husband of the Philippine mother. The details in the ROB under “father” shall be the details of the legal husband of the Filipino woman.

• • Child legitimated following the subsequent marriage of the parents – Joint Affidavit of Legitimation by Subsequent Marriage.

Please view the Notarials page for the requirements in filing the Affidavit/s.

Marriage:

• Report of Marriage Application Form

Additional requirements / forms in case of:

• • Registration after one year from the date of marriage – Affidavit of Delayed Registration of Marriage

Please view the Notarials page for the requirements in filing the Affidavit/s.

Death:

• Report of Death Application Form
• Report of Fetal Death Application Form

If the remains will be shipped to the Philippines, please view: REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SHIPMENT OF REMAINS TO THE PHILIPPINES AND THE ISSUANCE OF THE CONSULAR MORTUARY CERTIFICATE (CMC)

FEES

• Schedule of Service Fees

Applicants are advised to:

• Use black ink in filling out the forms

• For the ROB under “Mother” and ROM under “Wife”, indicate the maiden details of the mother or wife or the details of the mother or wife before the marriage

• Note that the “Middle Name” under the Philippine naming convention refers to the surname of the individual’s mother before marriage. If the individual/s reporting the vital event is/are not Filipino or not of Filipino lineage, please leave the portion blank.

• Leave the portion “Naturalized as a Filipino” blank, if not naturalized as a Filipino citizen

• Follow the date format day / month / year, and write the month in words

• Submit four (4) sets of duly filled forms with the required documents and original document (Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate or Death Certificate not the Family Book or Family registration book or similar document/s). For ROD, submit five (5) sets.

• Send only copies of their passports in the mail, and present the original passport on their appointment date

• Indicate the contact details in the documents that will be sent to the Embassy for ease of coordination

• For ROD, return the original passport of the deceased Filipino national to the Philippine Embassy. The Embassy will subsequently cancel the passport and return it to the DFA. The passport is the property of the Philippine Government.

• Enclose the required consular fees for the processing of the documents (CHF, cash only) in the envelope that they will send containing all the requirements for their requested Consular services

• Enclose a self-addressed envelope with stamps worth at least CHF6.50 along with their consular documents for pre-evaluation and processing of the Consular Section. Please purchase the stamps at your local Post Office. The envelope with stamp will be used to return the documents back to the client.

• Consult with your local Post Office for the: 1) postage required for the return of your documents, if bulky/heavy, and 2) purchase the stamps from them. Postal fees may be checked from the website of Die Post.