Our birth certificate correction services provide comprehensive assistance in rectifying inaccuracies in Philippine birth records. We guide you through the appropriate administrative or judicial processes to ensure that clerical, typographical, or substantive errors are corrected in full compliance with the law.
Birth Certificate Errors and Legal Bases for Corrections
Generally, there are two approaches to correcting birth certificate errors in the Philippines: administrative corrections, which can be made through the Local Civil Registry Office (LCRO), and judicial corrections, which require a court order.
Republic Act No. 9048 (Clerical Error Law)
This allows the correction of clerical or typographical errors (i.e., harmless or innocuous errors, such as misspelled names, misplaced entries, or mistakes in dates which do not affect a person’s civil status, nationality, or legitimacy) through administrative processes with the LCRO where the birth certificate is registered.
Republic Act No. 10172 (R.A. 9048 Amendment)
This extends the scope of administrative corrections to include errors involving a person’s sex or the date and month of birth. However, these are only allowed when the mistakes are clearly clerical or typographical in nature.
Rule 108 of the Rules of Court (Cancellation or Correction of Entries in the Civil Registry)
This provides for a judicial process through a petition filed with the Regional Trial Court (RTC). Entries subject to judicial cancellation or correction may be births, marriages, deaths, legal separations, judgments of annulments of marriage, judgments declaring marriages void from the beginning, legitimations, adoptions, acknowledgments of natural children, naturalization, election, loss or recovery of citizenship, civil interdiction, judicial determination of filiation, voluntary emancipation of a minor, and changes of name.
What Duran & Duran-Schulze Law Does
Duran & Duran-Schulze Law provides focused legal assistance for the correction of errors in Philippine birth certificates. We handle the procedural and documentary requirements involved in both administrative and judicial corrections, ensuring that all supporting records are complete, accurate, and properly submitted to the appropriate authorities.
Our Birth Certificate Correction Services
Our comprehensive legal and technical assistance in correcting birth certificates covers:
Administrative Corrections Assistance
We provide assistance in filing for administrative corrections of clerical or typographical errors in birth certificates, such as misspellings, incorrect dates, and minor factual inaccuracies, with the Local Civil Registry Office (LCRO) and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Judicial Corrections Assistance
We also handle judicial corrections required for substantive or contested changes, including parentage, sex, or adoption details. We prepare and file a verified petition with the appropriate Regional Trial Court (RTC), represent in court proceedings, and secure a judicial order directing the PSA to effect the legal amendment.
How to Get Started
For inquiries on requirements, processes, and fees, contact Duran & Duran-Schulze Law at (+632) 8478 5826, (+63) 917 194 0482, or info@duranschulze.com, or simply complete the form on this page. Our office is located at 1210 High Street South Corporate Plaza Tower 2, 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Need to Consult a Lawyer?
You can book an online or in-person consultation with Atty. Wendy. Choose a 30-minute or 1-hour session, fill out the form with your information and preferred schedule, pay the fee via PayPal, and meet with the attorney at the scheduled time.
Atty. Mary Wendy A. Duran
Founding Senior Partner [Read Profile]
Family Law, Civil Law, Criminal Law, Special Proceedings, and Property law
Birth Certificate Errors and Corrections FAQs
For your reference and guidance, here are some frequently asked questions about birth certificate errors and corrections in the Philippines:
An error in the civil register is considered clerical or typographical when it meets one or more of the following criteria:
- It is a mistake committed in the performance of clerical work in writing, copying, transcribing, or typing an entry.
- It is harmless and innocuous.
- It is visible to the eyes or obvious to the understanding.
- It can be corrected or changed only by reference to other existing record/s.
- The correction must NOT involve the change of nationality, age (refers to the correction on the year of birth), or legitimacy status of the petitioner.
Common examples of clerical or typographical errors include misspellings, words not in the right space, gender not properly recorded, wrong dates, and other errors.
The owner of the birth record, or an authorized representative with proper authority, may file the petition. In certain cases, immediate family members may also file, subject to legal requirements.
Petitions for the correction of clerical or typographical errors in birth certificates are filed with the Local Civil Registry Office (LCRO). For individuals abroad, petitions may be filed in person with the nearest Philippine Consulate.
For judicial corrections of substantial birth certificate errors, the petition must be filed under Rule 108 of the Rules of Court at the Regional Trial Court (RTC) where the birth was registered.
Supporting documents may include a PSA-issued birth certificate, government-issued identification, school or medical records, and other official documents establishing the correct entry. Judicial corrections may require additional documentary and testimonial evidence.
While most administrative corrections may be filed personally, legal assistance is highly recommended, especially for judicial corrections or complex cases, to ensure compliance with procedural and evidentiary requirements and to avoid delays and denial.
