Establishment of Civil Register Act

The Director of the National Library acts as the Civil Registrar-General.
Authorized to enforce the Act, issue regulations (with Secretary of Justice approval), and prepare necessary forms.
May direct local civil registrars regarding their duties.
Responsible for reporting violations, irregularities, negligence, or incompetence of local registrars.

Treasurers of municipalities, municipal districts, and cities serve as local civil registrars without extra compensation.
In Manila, the local civil registrar is appointed from the Philippine Health Service.
Local civil registrars operate under the supervision of the Civil Registrar-General.

Local registrars shall maintain and preserve:
- Birth and death register
- Marriage register (including marriages, divorces, dissolved marriages)
- Registers for legitimation, acknowledgment, adoption, name changes, and naturalization.

Birth registration is based on declaration by attending physician, midwife, or either parent within 30 days.
Declaration exempt from documentary stamp tax and must include:
- Date and time of birth
- Sex and nationality
- Parents’ names, citizenship, religion, and civil status
- Place of birth and other required data
For exposed children, the finder must report relevant circumstances.
Birth certificates for illegitimate children signed by both parents or mother if father refuses; father’s identity must not be disclosed if refusal occurs.
Foetuses with human features dying beyond 24 hours from womb exclusion are to be registered as births and deaths.

No burial without a recorded death certificate.
Certificate issued by attending physician, health officer, family member, or knowledgeable person.
Must include:
- Date, place of death
- Full name, age, sex, occupation, residence
- Marital status, nationality, probable cause of death
During epidemics, burial allowed if death certificate is secured; registration to follow within five days.

Marriages solemnized by authorized civil officers or religious ministers must be reported to local civil registrars within prescribed period.
Petitioners for divorce or annulment must send certified court decrees to registrars where marriages were solemnized.
Marriage entries include:
- Names and addresses of parties
- Ages, date and place of solemnization
- Witnesses’ information
- Consent for minors, solemnizing officer’s details
Divorce and annulment entries must include parties’ names, decree date, and other details as required.

Legitimation by subsequent marriage recorded with names of parents, marriage date/place, officiating minister, and civil register reference.
Names of legitimated children linked to birth certificates included.

Voluntary acknowledgment by parents recorded with detailed information of the child and acknowledgment document.
Certified copy of acknowledgment to be sent to local civil registrar within twenty days.

Interested parties must register relevant decrees with local civil registrar where the decree was issued.
Required data and names added to respective registers.

Ensure final court decrees on legitimation, acknowledgment, adoption, naturalization, and name changes are registered.
If not registered, the clerk must record the decree in the proper civil register office.

Civil register books and related documents are public and prima facie evidence of the facts recorded.
Open to public during office hours and securely kept.
Documents cannot be removed without court order; certified copies may be issued.

Expenses for establishing local registries paid from municipal funds.
Fees for registration and certified copies prescribed and vary by document type (e.g., P2.00 for legitimation/adoption, P20 for naturalization).
Official uses and court requests may be exempt from fees.
Collected fees accrue to municipal general fund.

Current birth, death, marriage registers, and related documents held by municipal secretaries or Manila court clerks transferred to local civil registrars.

Persons making false statements in registration forms face imprisonment (1–6 months), fines (P200–P500), or both.

Failure by persons required to report civil status facts punished by fines from P10 to P200.

Civil Registrar-General may extend Act’s provisions to special provinces upon Bureau of Non-Christian Tribes’ recommendation.

Duties related to marriage licensing, registration, and document filing transferred from municipal secretaries and court clerks to local civil registrars.