How to Get a Local Civil Registry Birth Certificate in Manila City Hall

I have an issue with the PSA (called NSO) copy of my birth certificate. My first name does not appear on the PSA copy even if the local civil registry copy (the white one that has been my birth certificate copy since I was young) has it. 🙁

May 2, 2017

So, I decided to go to Manila City Hall where my birth was registered and see what could help to rectify my No Name Issue on my birth certificate.

Before I can get my “No Name” issue on my PSA birth certificate fixed, though, I have to obtain the latest copy of the local civil registry copy of my birth certificate. And here’s how I was able to do it.

1. Go to the city hall/municipality where your birth was registered. In my case, since I was born in Manila, I have to go to Manila City Hall’s Local Civil Registry Office. From the information desk, you will be provided with a form to be filled out. Here’s what it looks like:

2. Fill out the form and go to Window/Step 2 to have your details verified. Make sure to bring an ID as you may need to present it to the officer.

3. Go to Window/Step 3 and pay Php50. By this time you must have three papers in your hands: The filled-out form, the receipt, and a queue number.

4. Move to Window/Step 4. Submit your receipt and filled-out form to the officer at the other side of the window. Wait until your name be called and your form be returned to you.

5. Go to Window/Step 5. Submit the filled out form again. The officer will take most of the form and will return the right section to you, which will serve as your claim stub once your local civil registry birth certificate is ready. I am scheduled to pick it up the next morning.

This process confused me as I am not requesting for a local civil registry (LCR) copy of my birth certificate. However, when I clarified it with the staff at Window/Step 5, I was told that in order for me to continue my request on correcting my first name, I have to obtain the LATEST local civil registry copy of the birth certificate, before I can proceed to the Philippine Statistics Authority office in Sta. Mesa for the correction process. 

So, I have to wait until tomorrow morning to get the most recent copy of my LCR birth certificate. 

Time spent for the whole transaction: 1 hour

May 3, 2017

I returned the following day and went to the “Releasing Section”. I submitted my claim stub (See picture above) to the staff behind the desk and quickly she handed over the LCR copy together with the form I filled out a day before plus the receipts. My LCR birth certificate has been marked with blue marker and has a series of stamps at the bottom section.

I got the local copy of my birth certificate. If there are no issues with your local copy, you are good to go. Lucky you!

Unfortunately, it is confirmed (again) that I do not have my first name on it. And this will lead me to another process which is correcting a clerical no-first-name error in the birth certificate. 

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Side Note:

I would like to give a commentary on the transaction process I experienced in obtaining a copy of my birth certificate.

1. I hope the Manila City Hall will take advantage of the use of technology when it comes to document processing like this. The entire 5-step birth certificate request can be done without lining up in long lines in the Civil Registry Office. A method of payment via online can also be optional (via debiting or in-person payment). The only time that the requester will appear at the civil registry office is upon claiming the birth certificate. Less paper use, less crowded days in the office, eh?

2. Despite the wall guides pointing which step/process the window section is accommodating, it is still confusing for a visitor to navigate inside the office. I remember lining up to the STEP 2 window of another transaction while the step 2 window I supposed to queue in at is somewhere at the inner part of the office.

3. Switching from window to window is so unnecessary. In fact, I believe the entire process can be done by a single staff in just a span of 3 to 5 minutes! 

4. Aim to finish all transactions within one day and in just a few hours. I just requested for a local copy of my birth certificate, yet it took me half a day to “semi-finish” the process and I still have to travel to Manila again just to get the copy.

5. The staff (if it is really necessary to have that many staff inside the civil registry office) must be oriented on the processes so that their instructions to people asking assistance will be in sync. I asked the information desk why I needed to have another copy of my LCR BC when I already have one, and the staff said to me that I should ask the staff at Step 5 to change my request purpose. Upon talking to the staff at Window 5, I was told that the LCR BC that I have won’t be accepted as I need to present the latest to PSA. 

I will post a new blog entry relating to this for more updates!