For Filipino Translation of this page, click here.

All notary services in Embassy Manila are by appointment only. Please read the types of notarial services offered below before booking your appointment.

Documents used for legal purposes in the United States may require notarization by a U.S. Embassy notarizing official. The individual who needs to sign the document must appear in person at the American Citizens Services Section, present proper identification (a valid passport, or three valid official IDs such as a driver’s license) and pay the appropriate fee. There is no charge for documents required by the U.S. government, such as the statement of consent for issuance of a U.S. passport to a minor. If witnesses are required, you must bring your own. However, due to space limitations people not needed to witness or sign documents during the notarial service will not be able accompany the applicant to the ACS section and should not come to the Embassy.  Fiancées of Americans seeking legal capacities to marry do not need to appear. 

Do not sign the document until requested to do so by the notarizing officer.  Depending on the nature of the document, the notarizing officer will either take an acknowledgement that your signature was done freely and with an understanding of the document’s contents, or administer an oath whereby you swear or affirm the contents of a document are true. (Note: Notarizing officers do not certify that the contents of submitted documents are true.  A notarizing officer only certifies that you have signed and sworn or affirmed under oath that the contents are true.) Notarizing officers are prohibited from offering legal advice regarding the form or content of documents to be notarized.

How to Book an Appointment:

Step 1:

The Embassy only offers notarial services during a notarial appointment.  If you are also applying for a passport and/or Consular Report of Birth Abroad, you must take a separate appointment for those services.

 Step 2:

Book an appointment by clicking here. Please make only one appointment - Embassy Manila will cancel all but one appointment for people who reserve multiple appointments.  Please select “Request notarial and other services not listed above.” Print the confirmation of your appointment.  As there are many people seeking appointments, we ask you to please cancel your appointment if you will be unable to come to the Embassy.  You may cancel your appointment by clicking here.

 Step 3:

Bring confirmation printout, documents to be notarized, and a valid passport, or three valid official IDs.  Please bring $50 cash (or Philippine peso equivalent) or credit card.  A separate charge applies to each notarized document. 

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Services Offered

Affidavits

An “affidavit” is a written declaration or statement of facts, made voluntarily and confirmed by the oath or affirmation of the party making it, taken before an officer having authority to administer such oath or affirmation. Affidavits require the personal presence of the individual signing the document in order for the consular officer to administer the oath. Please bring a valid passport or three valid official identity documents that contain your name, signature, and photograph.

Fee: $50 (or its peso equivalent) per transaction (seal)

Note: Each additional seal provided at the same time in connection with the same transaction there is additional fee of $50.

Affidavit in Lieu of a Certificate of Legal Capacity to Marry

Any foreigner who wishes to marry in the Philippines is required by the Philippine Government to obtain from his/her Embassy a “Certificate of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage” before filing an application for a marriage license. For information, please click here.

Acknowledgements

An “acknowledgement” is to “acknowledge”, to admit, affirm, or declare; to recognize one’s acts, assuming obligation or incurring responsibility. For example, if you sign a deed before a notarizing officer, you acknowledge your signature.  Acknowledgements require the personal appearance by the person who signed the document in order to confirm that the individual signed the document. Please bring a valid passport or three valid official identity documents that contain your name, signature, and photograph.

Fee: $50 (or its peso equivalent) per transaction (seal)

Note: Each additional seal provided at the same time in connection with the same transaction there is additional fee of $50. 

Authentications

The primary purpose of an authentication, which is a governmental act by a U.S. consular officer, is to certify the official seal, signature and/ or authority of foreign officials who perform an official act with regard to a document that is to be used in the United States. As of December 11, 2006, U.S. consular officers will no longer authenticate the seals and signatures of any accredited Philippine notaries public.  Also, the U.S. Embassy will no longer offer to the public a list of registered Philippine notaries public for whom the Embassy maintains such information.  Only authentication requests for originally signed documents from key Department of Foreign Affairs officials will be authenticated.

A consular authentication of a document to be used in the U.S. in no way attests to the authenticity of the contents of a document but merely to the seal and signature of the issuing Philippine government official.

Fee: $50 (or its peso equivalent) per transaction (seal)

Note: Each additional seal provided at the same time in connection with the same transaction there is additional fee of $50.

Authentications of Documents Issued in the United States

Consular officers are not empowered to authenticate public documents issued in the United States or abroad. Consular officers do not have access to the records of the issuing office or the seal of the custodian of records. When a certification or authentication of a true copy is requested, please contact the embassy or consulate of the country where the document was issued.

Authentication of American Academic Credentials for Use Abroad

U.S. embassies and consulates cannot authenticate diplomas or other documents from universities and other schools in the United States or provide notarial services related to such credentials.

(Effective January 1, 1983, the U.S. Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad ceased to authenticate or provide certified true copies of academic credentials, transcripts or degrees. The U.S. Department of Education determined at that time such documents are not required in the United States for persons who studied abroad who wish to attend primary or secondary school, or college in the United States.  This was announced in a joint release by the U.S. Departments of State and Education published in the NAFSA newsletter of December/January 1983.  The U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Department of Homeland Security also determined that authentication of foreign academic credentials generally is not/not required for U.S. immigration purposes.)

W-7 Application

The Embassy Consular officers can authenticate originally signed birth certificates and marriage contracts issued by the Philippine National Statistics Office (NSO) in Quezon City, Philippines, after certification from Department of Foreign Affairs official (DFA) in support of applications for US taxpayer ID numbers, ITIN (W-7) application. Other documents required by the ITIN (W-7) may be certified by the issuing agency or official custodian of the original record.

Fee: $50(or its peso equivalent) per transaction (seal)

Note: Each additional seal provided at the same time in connection with the same transaction there is additional fee of $50.

Refusal of Notarial Services

Notarial services may be refused under the following conditions; it is prohibited by treaty or foreign Law; it is prohibited by U.S. law; the notarizing officer believes the document will be used for a purpose patently unlawful, improper or inimical to the best interests of the United States; the document is blank; the individual does not appear to be capable of understanding the nature or language of the instrument; the individual is unable to comprehend the significance of the act and/or is acting under duress;  the individual has invalid, inadequate or insufficient proof of identification; the proof of a corporate title or position is lacking or inadequate; and/or the service is a medallion signature guarantee.  (Only financial institutions can provide a signature guarantee/medallion guarantee service.)