Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry, WHAT IS IT and HOW CAN I GET IT?

I've been receiving a lot of questions regarding this document since I published my blog post regarding how we went about getting married in the Philippines.  As much as I religiously answer the queries, some of the questions are just really repetitive, perhaps because some blog readers aren't patient enough to browse through the comments section or even read the entire article (which isn't really a good thing, though I know reading isn't everyone's cup of tea but if we scout for important information, I think we should exert more effort).  Anyhow, I thought it is better to just write a separate post specifically for this certain document so I can just refer readers to this post in the future instead of repeating the same information all the time.  

The Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry is a legal document required by the Philippine government from a couple wishing to get married in the Philippines, in which, one isn't a Filipino national (a foreigner).  I was asked of this document since my husband is French.  This certificate is a proof that your future spouse doesn't have any legal matrimonial attachment in his country, in short, he is SINGLE.  This is equivalent to our CENOMAR in the Philippines.  You can acquire this document from the French embassy in Manila FOR FREE but before the embassy will issue you this legal paper you'll need to submit the following requirements to them: 

Requirements for an issuance of the Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry:

For the French National:

• A duly accomplished questionnaire from the embassy.  To download the questionnaire CLICK HERE
• A recent (less than 3 months) full text of Birth Certificate
• Copy of National Identification card or Certificate of Nationality or Biometric passport
• (If previously married, a court decision of divorce; if widow/er, a certified true copy of death certificate of spouse)
• Proof of residency or copy of consular certificate if applicable

For the Filipino National:

• A duly accomplished questionnaire from the embassy.  Same questionnaire as the French national.
• Authenticated copy of the full text birth certificate (NSO and DFA)
• Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) issued by NSO
• Proof of residency in the Philippines
• Photocopy of 2 ID cards (passport, postal ID, SSS ID ...)
• (If previously married, mention of annulment decision on duly authenticated marriage certificate and certified true copy of judgment of marriage annulment; If widow/er, authenticated copy of death certificate of the spouse, Copy of birth certificate of illegitimate children duly authenticated.

After submitting the required/complete documents, you'll be advised to wait for about 5 to 8 weeks.  Yes, it can take a long time and here's why:  Once they receive your complete file, they will post a marriage banns at the French embassy for 10 days, if no one opposes, the file will then be sent to the city hall of the residence of your future spouse -in France- where a marriage banns will again be published for  another 10 days.  If there is still no one who opposes your future union, the city hall will then mail a certificate of no opposition to the French embassy.  As far as I know, they use snail mail, that's why it can really be time consuming.  Things might have been changed since then and they might be doing the process/exchanging the files electronically, which means it could be faster now  but I don't want to give you false hope regarding the time frame.  It is always better to ask the embassy directly on how long you need to wait for the certificate to be issued.  Without this certificate, no civil or religious wedding can be done in the Philippines.

I hope this post helps make things clear for you.  You might want to read the following blog entries:
Marriage Between Filipino & French Nationals (FAQ)

Filipino-French Wedding Procedure in the Philippines

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How Did I Manage To Speak French (In A Few Year's Time)?

There is no secret nor is there a shortcut in learning a new language, especially if you do it at a later age.  I officially started learning the French language back in 2012, few months after I married my French husband.  But way before that, while we were still at the boyfriend-girlfriend stage, he was already starting to give me a few grammar lessons.  And after each of those grammar lessons, I was almost convinced that "no, this language isn't for me, it's too complicated" only to find myself conversing in French a few years later! Lesson learned: never underestimate your own capacities...ever!

Since the beginning of our relationship, we've always agreed that English will be our primary language in conversing together but later on we realized that it's actually very important for me to learn his language especially since we envision living in France for a few years before finally retiring somewhere else.  This led us to making a decision of me going to language school, if I want to be fluent in French his grammar lessons won't be enough.  But it was only for a couple of months, far from being enough yet it was already a good kick start.  

I officially started learning at the first quarter of 2012 and was already able to speak the language decently enabling me to work part time the last quarter of the next year and yes, this too surprised me in a way.  My husband and I have met a lot of people who asked us how I managed to learn and get fluent as quickly as I did and there is no single answer for this question.  As previously mentioned, I went to language school for a couple of months just before leaving for France.  And when I arrived, as part of my integration process, I attended four hundred hours of language training but aside from that here are the other things that helped me get the hang of it:

1. Have an open mind.  Learning a new language, especially a tricky one like French, needs an open mind.  Don't get yourself stuck in the grammar rules and pronunciations of the language or languages you speak.
2. Buy or scout for free learning materials online and don't just stop there, USE THEM.  Learning is investing.  This new language you're trying to learn may take you places, give it all you have with the time and resources you have.  And there are a lot of fun apps for smart phones that are very effective now a days.
3. Get a "Becherelle" or download a conjugation app like "Le Conjugueur".  This will allow you to know the different conjugation of each French word according to their tenses.  If you want to be fluent with your French then this is a must.
4. Embrace the awkward.  Hearing new words and trying to say them by producing odd sounds can be really awkward in the beginning but you'll never get used to it unless you allow yourself to repeat it enough until it sounds and feels...well, less awkward.  Hey! You're learning a new language, the word new isn't there for nothing so chill! 
5. Live in the country where this language is spoken.  They say that this is the best way to learn a new language, true, unless you opt to speaking your own language while living in that place.  Language is a beautiful part of the culture, integrate yourself and trust me, you'll be appreciating the country's culture in an even deeper level and it'll make your life easier.  You won't have to worry about making sign languages when faced with someone who can't speak the same language you speak.  Not that something is wrong with sign languages, it can be fun and creative too! ^_^ But would it not be better if you can go about your daily life in a normal way like everyone else around you?  In France, not a lot of people speak English let alone Cebuano or Tagalog or whatever Filipino dialect you speak.
6. Read-Listen-Imitate, repeat.  Each of us retain information differently, this worked for me.  I look at a word, listen to someone say it, try to imitate the person and I repeat the procedure.  They help me remember the words, thus, enriching my vocabulary while helping me with the pronunciation at the same time but pronunciations are tricky, don't get discouraged too easily, brave it out!
7. Start from scratch, use children's books.  In France, they have these booklets called "cahier de vacances" that are available in different subject matters, pick the one for learning French and enjoy learning easy-everyday vocabularies.  Imagine you're four years old again and just started going to school.. ^_^
8. Don't be afraid to watch that television.  Say,  you live in that foreign country now and you're too afraid to watch your t.v. set because most channels speak a language that you don't understand.  Don't be.  Go on and watch that t.v. but not with a goal of understanding what's shown just yet, use it to get yourself familiar with the words and how they say it.  Then later on, you'll be surprised when you start to understand and follow simple conversations or topics.  Sitcoms, variety shows, the news and cartoons are very good things to watch in foreign television.
9. Make good old "subtitle" your friend.  Watch a movie in a language that you understand and have it subtitled with the language that you're trying to learn.  Or watch a French movie with an English subtitle.  I know not everyone is a friend of Mr subtitle but this is a very helpful technique especially when it comes to idiomatic expressions since these are things that aren't translated literally most of the time.  Now, you're leveling up!
10. You can't overdose on music.  Have you already heard of a song with the lyrics that you don't understand but the beat was so nice it stays in your head and you end up actually enjoying it?  I think most of us already have.  Music is another part of a country's culture, a beautiful part.  When you listen to music with the language that you're trying to learn don't get frustrated, first you'll understand only bits and pieces of the lyrics and little by little you'll understand the whole song.  France has a lot of beautiful, meaningful, romantic songs, don't miss them!
11. Don't be ashamed to ask even when talking to that random person at the grocery.  French people don't bite.  Don't let the lack of vocabulary hinder your improvement.  And at home don't stop asking questions about words that you've heard and you'd want to understand.
12. Make notes.  Keeping cheat sheets is a good way to helping you remember those newly learned words and expressions.  When you hear a word that's used so often, jot it down and when you get home ask your husband or wife or whoever is with you.
13. Live, breath and eat French.  Make it a part of your life.
14. Don't settle for less.  Practice, don't be afraid to make mistakes, allow others to correct you without feeling offended and don't stop and be contented with a limited vocabulary.  Believe you can and you will!

Trying to speak a new language can be very challenging but it is all worth it in the end.  I'm a talker, I love sharing my ideas and communicating with people around me.  If I were not able to speak French then my life in France will not have been the same.  I wouldn't have been able to find even a part time job.  I'd always have worries about not being understood and I'd always be depending on my husband for everything.  I'm not saying I master the language because I don't, I'm very far from that and I most probably won't reach that level, but I know enough to go about my daily life just as how I went about it in the Philippines and this gives me a certain freedom and confidence and if I am able to do it then there's no reason why you won't be able to do the same, you might even be better than me. ^_^

SUGGESTIONS:

• Try getting the LIVING LANGUAGE COMPLETE COURSE - this is a package with a very well explained book, an English-French dictionary and 4 CDs.  This book helped me a lot in understanding French grammar.
• Visit  LanguageGuide - they have a lot of beginners' exercises available for free.

Why Going on a Cruise is a Good Idea

Due to my husband's line of work, we've been moving around different parts of the French soil a little too often.  Back in 2012 we were in a French island in the Caribbean, a year later we were in Brittany (Bretagne) -a region in the western part of France and now we're in Tahiti, the South Pacific.  I'm not at all complaining, on the contrary, it's a great pleasure to discover the different parts of this beautiful country.  Living here is a wonderful experience, it's something that I never had ever imagined, I didn't even know this part of the earth exists (I must have learned it in school but I just don't remember that part of my learning....it happens..lol).  However, since the French Polynesian archipelago is such a secluded place, everything here is very costly and....far.  My husband is assigned here for a span for three years in which we're half-way done.

Tahiti is a small island, three times smaller than Cebu (the island where I'm from the the Philippines).  Most communities here live in the coastal areas, only very few of them are in the hills.  As a matter of fact, they don't even have roads crossing all around the island.  They have a main road surrounding the island and a road which crosses the interior part of the island but it's not really being used, only island tours and a few locals use this road.  If you're like me who isn't into surfing, diving, paddling and all other aquatic activities then you may have a tendency to get bored.  It is pretty common for people here to travel to New Zealand, Japan, the US, South America, Australia and Metropolitan France.  If they can afford a trip to any of these countries they'd definitely do it just to experience and see something  different.  We would've wanted to do one of these trips if only I'd never be bothered to apply for a visa at each time.  I'm proud of being a Filipino but sad over the fact that my Filipino passport don't make me feel "free" enough to go where I please.  Having to renew my French visa (titre de sejour) annually is already enough of a stress and trouble (if I may say) for us, let alone requesting for another visa!  This actually made my husband and I decide on taking our first cruise.

It was a wonderful eleven-day cruise within the French Polynesian archipelago, so no need for any visa when we arrive in our different ports of call.  Since everything is costly here, a domestic flight from one Polynesian island to another can sometimes be more expensive than a flight to another country, so discovering some of these -even farther- islands is a beautiful chance.

We embarked the MS Pacific Princess in Papeete on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and from the moment of embarkation until the last minute of our stay, everything was just hassle-free.  Since it's our first time cruising, we were mesmerized by their organization of things, you check-in, they take care of your luggage the same way when checking-in in a hotel then give you individual key cards with your names printed on them and these key cards will actually serve as your "credit card" on board so you won't have to worry about bringing a lot of cards with you while you go about your different activities in the ship.

Shortly after checking-in, we were all excited about having a tour around "our home" for the next eleven days.  Getting on the ship gave us a feeling of being in a different country.  Everyone spoke English, there's a good mix of tourists, there's a feel of being in a different culture and the ship's crews are all friendly, professional, welcoming and polite. Our stateroom was at the 7th floor with a beautiful picture window for memorable views and was surprisingly spacious.  It had a closet large enough for our vacation clothes, a vanity set, center table, couch, a private bathroom with shower and other amenities common in hotels like TV set, phone, fridge, air-conditioning etc.. It was rustic but well maintained, clean and nice.

The MS Pacific Princess became famous when it appeared in the romantic comedy anthology TV series The Love Boat.  With today's really huge cruise ships, she falls under the small cruise ship category though it really isn't that small.  As we toured around we discovered the restaurants, the cabaret lounge where they hold evening shows, the cozy Pacific lounge with a bar, the library, the main pool and the panorama buffet.  Though the ship isn't new it still holds its elegance, it gave us the impression of being taken back in time, especially the interior design.

Everything was included in the package that we paid except for alcoholic beverages and the daily tips of $11.23 per person.  The food was very delicious and it can be dangerous if you over-indulge since food is available from six in the morning until eleven in the evening.  Every night they'd give you the following day's schedule so you'd be able to plan ahead in case you wanna join an on-board activity that they propose such as table tennis "friendly" competitions, free dance lessons, cooking shows, a comedy show at night etc..they have various activities designed for various group of guests.  Even though around 85% of the guests are retirees there was never a point that we got bored and it's actually something that has to change, one shouldn't wait for his retirement before getting on a cruise, not necessarily the luxurious ones...in today's world it's rare not to have enough choices may it be about the price range or the destination.

Since we're residents of the French Polynesian archipelago my husband already has some local contacts so he made arrangements and bookings for the excursions in almost all of our ports of call even weeks before the beginning of our adventure.  He didn't do it for Moorea - an island next to Tahiti that we often visit, so, we can say we know the island well enough to pay for a guided tour; Bora Bora - where we planned on spending our day at the beach which also is free of charge and Raiatea - where we planned doing a short trekking which won't necessarily need a guide, thus, again free of charge.

The idea of cruising is already something wonderful in itself but cruising in the South Pacific seas?  That's beyond wonderful if you are someone who loves the tropics, the laid back islands, pristine white sand beaches and crystal-clear-and-marine-life-rich lagoons!  For us, it was heaven, this place is a little piece of paradise.  Away from pollution, overpopulation, terrorism and migrant crisis just to name a few.  Aside from the three previously mentioned islands (Moorea, Raiatea and Bora Bora), we also had the pleasure to go and enjoy the islands of:

• Huahine where we did an island tour including a visit to a pearl farm.
• The grandiose Nuku Hiva of the Marquesas where we did a guided tour which included a short trekking.  It's a mountainous big island so you'll have really fascinating views of the ocean.
• The awesome Rangiroa where we spent a day at the famous "blue lagoon" and the name really speaks for itself, the different shades of blue and the black fin sharks swimming with you were stunning and the snorkeling at their natural aquarium was simply unforgettable.

The eleven days went by really quick and though it's cliché to say but as stated in the ship's slogan, we came back new!

Yes, the price isn't low but considering the experience that we had and that everything is expensive at where we are, it was actually worth every penny.  So, why going on a cruise is a good idea?  Well, with what you paid you were taken to different places while enjoying the comforts of being in a starred hotel.  Each day, you open your eyes to a different scenery.  You can be eating your breakfast with a marvelous view of the ocean and spending your lunch at a local restaurant really far from where you had last night's dinner.  Take a break, go on a cruise while you're still young and enjoy it even more!  As for us, we can't wait to try it again, we're hooked! ^_^

Our stateroom...feels like honeymoon all over again! ^_^

Cook bay Moorea.

Raiatea with 2 of the ship's amazing crews.

Bora Bora

Blue Lagoon (Rangiroa)

Rangiroa's shark breeding lagoon.

The pool and the two hot tubs on the side.

Crayfish on Captain's night 

Nuku Hiva

The Welcome Champagne fountain 

Official Pacific Princess Photo from http://www.princess.com/