In the Philippines, documents such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, CENOMAR, and death certificates are maintained by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), formerly known as the National Statistics Office (NSO). These documents are used for various transactions such as legal identification, employment, school, visa application, marriage, and more. However, there are circumstances that your record doesn’t exist in the PSA’s database, both electronic and paper archives.
One of the reasons is that the document was not properly endorsed by the Local Civil Registry Office (LRCO or LCR) to the PSA, or the request was made sooner after the date of the life event and the certificate is still undergoing verification and digitization by the PSA.
In this article, we will walk you through the steps that you can do if you don’t have records in the PSA and how FileDocsPhil can help you simplify the process.
The Process of Registering Certificate to PSA
The process of recording life events like births, marriages, and deaths involves collaboration between officiating personnel, LRCO, and the PSA. When these live events occur, a specific person, such as hospital staff or midwife (birth), married couple (marriage), attending physician or next of kin (death) is responsible for preparing the initial records for each life event and submitting to LCRO for official registration and filing.
Different types of PSA certificates – Birth certificate, marriage certificate, CENOMAR, and death certificate.
Once the LCRO registers the life event, they are responsible for transmitting copies of the documents to the PSA. The PSA will be accountable for certification, digitization, and filing. They will print the document using PSA’s Security Paper (SECPA) to make it an official document and be responsible for the issuance.
The processing time of registering life events within Metro Manila usually takes two (2) to four (4) months while provinces take up to six (6) months. It means a PSA copy is made available after this period from the registration.
What is Negative Certification?
If you happen to request a copy of your PSA certificate, either walk-in or PSA online appointment, the PSA will then search for the documents in its archives. If the requested document copy of your certificate happens to be unfound, a negative intact result is reported and a Negative Certification will be issued.
Example of Negative Certification issued if there is no record in the PSA
A Negative Certification is an official document issued by the PSA that verifies the absence of a requested civil registry record. Stated here that upon diligent search, the PSA didn’t find the requested birth, marriage, or death certificate within their archives or system.
This certificate is needed when requesting the civil registry document’s endorsement from the LRCO and to be submitted to the PSA.
Steps you need to do when there is No Record of your PSA
Go to the Local Civil Registry Office (LCRO) where the life event occurred and registered and request a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the document. Settle the payment fees.
If there is an existing copy at the LCRO, request for it to be endorsed to the PSA. Take note that you need to ask for the copies of Receipt of Forwarder/Courier in case the endorsement was sent to PSA through a local courier, Personal copy of the document from the LCRO, Copy of the Endorsement Letter or Transmittal Letter from the LCRO to the PSA.
Ask the LCRO for the timeline of the endorsement and when it would be best for you to file a new request at the PSA.
If the document is not available at the LCRO, you need to file a late registration of the life event (birth, marriage, or death). The LCRO will then endorse the late registered document to the PSA.
To get a copy of the endorsed document, bring the Receipt of Forwarder/Courier (from the LCRO), a Personal copy of the document from the LCRO, an Endorsement Letter or Transmittal Letter from the LCRO, Negative Certification from the PSA to the PSA East Avenue Office (within Metro Manila) or PSA CRS offices (provinces).
Example of certificate issued by Local Civil Registry Office (LCR or LCRO) – record of live event.
Sound’s Overwhelming? It doesn’t have to be!
FileDocsPhil streamlines the process of obtaining PSA-certified documents, handling everything from LCRO to PSA endorsements, late registrations, and PSA copy requests to document authentication and apostille services for international use. If your record exists in the LCRO but still needs to be forwarded to the PSA, FileDocsPhil coordinates directly with the LCRO and PSA, ensuring prompt endorsements and timely follow-ups.
FileDocsPhil’s team takes care of PSA-certified copy requests and provides expert support for apostille and attestation, saving you from long queues, complex paperwork, and multiple trips. By entrusting FileDocsPhil, you benefit from a fast, reliable, and hassle-free service that keeps you informed every step and ensures your vital documents are processed efficiently and securely.
Let FileDocsPhil Do the Work!
Need further information and assistance in PSA Certificates? Talk to our team at FILEDOCSPHIL to know more about the requirements and process. Call us today at (+63) 917 149 2337 or send an email to info@filedocsphil.com for more information or simply message us through the live chat for more information.
