Permanent validity of certificates of live birth, death and marriage

Dear PAO,

My mother asked me to check her documents for her passport application, and I noticed that she wanted to present a birth certificate that was still issued by the National Statistics Office (NSO). I know that the NSO changed its name to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) over a decade ago, and I wish to know if birth certificates issued by the NSO are still valid.

April

Dear April,

Section 3 of Republic Act (RA) 11909, otherwise known as the Permanent Validity of the Certificates of Live Birth, Death, and Marriage Act, states the following:

“Sec. 3. Permanent Validity. – The certificates of live birth, death, and marriage issued, signed, certified, or authenticated by the PSA and its predecessor, the NSO, and the local civil registries shall have permanent validity regardless of the date of issuance and shall be recognized and accepted in all government or private transactions or services requiring submission thereof, as proof of identity and legal status of a person xxx.”

According to the above-mentioned law, civil registry documents (i.e., birth, death and marriage certificates), regardless of the date of issuance, shall now have permanent validity. It further states that these documents shall also be recognized and accepted in all government or private transactions or services requiring submission thereof, provided that they remain readable and contain the authenticity and security features without prejudice to administrative or judicial corrections that may be conducted pursuant to other laws.

Further, Section 5 of the same Act states:

“Sec. 5. Prohibition Against Requiring a New Copy of a Certificate. – National government agencies and instrumentalities, government-owned and -controlled corporations, local government units, private companies, private and public educational institutions, and other nongovernment entities are prohibited from requiring the submission of another or newer copies of certificates of live birth, death, or marriage, and reports of birth, death, or marriage when a valid certificate can already be presented.”

Following the above-mentioned provision, government and private entities are prohibited from requiring the submission of another copy or newer copies of civil registry documents when a valid certificate can already be presented.

To answer your question, certificates of live birth, death, and marriage, once issued, signed, certified or authenticated by the PSA, the NSO or local civil registries, shall have permanent validity regardless of their date of issuance. These certificates must be recognized and accepted in all government and private transactions or services requiring their submission as proof of identity and legal status, thereby prohibiting these agencies or offices from asking for or requiring the submission of newer or other copies of the said civil registry records.

We hope that we were able to answer your queries. This advice is based solely on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. Our opinion may vary when other facts are changed or elaborated on.

Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney’s Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to [email protected]