Originally Posted by
calvin72
Hello All , firstly just want to say that che-che ( ApoEagle ) and myself are getting married on Samal Island here in Davao , on the beach , on Valentine's Day. We have not been posting for some time but still get our information from you all here , so salamat for that :-) . I just want to say that i exchanged my CNI at the UK Embassy in Manila last week and it was fine , i went around 8-30 am and waited 10-15 minutes to be seen and just 30 minutes for the certificate. The first time i only had my paperwork ( not che-che's as i thought the Embassy only dealt with me ) , not sure if this is clear on previous posts but you do need both parties CNI/Cenomar , birth cert and passport. Anyway i had to return the following day to complete.
The Embassy itself is a bit difficult to locate. There is nothing outside to identify it and only the fact that i had the exact address got me there ( Manila cab drivers are a bit of a nightmare , and if thats your first encounter with a filipino then dont worry , it only gets better ! ) . It is very secure , with armed guards and nothing like an Embassy or Consulate in Europe. It is true that all the staff are filipino , which surprised me but they spoke excellent english and that wasn't an issue at all.
We are both in our thirties ( che-che is 30 i should say !! ) and this has excused us from the pre-marriage seminar. It appears that if both of you are over 30 (or over 25 with parental consent ) then the seminar is legally not required. There is a sign in Davao City Hall to that effect. Also the 10 day rule for waiting for your marriage licence does appear to be strictly upheld ( maybe we didn't find the right person :-) )
Anyway all in all , get your CNI in the UK and dont worry about the exchange! The only gripe i have is that their version is almost identical to the UK one ( not translated , still in English ). I paid twice for the same thing , but accept that like airport tax i suppose :-) - Thanks very much , good luck to all the others following us :-)