Some of you may recall my earlier posts regarding the registration of our marriage / 3 year tourist limit/ 13a problems. I am happy to report that we just returned from a 5 week trip to Europe, and that I got a 1 year balikbayan stamp in my passport upon our return, thanks to the marriage registration report stamped and sealed by the Philippine embassy in The Hague. That same registration form has also been reported back to the DFA in Manila and by them to the PSA. My asawa has an appointment for next week at PSA, which will result in a Philippine marriage certificate at last (after 4 years of marriage). That means we can finally start our application for a 13a visa, and have almost a year to get that done, so no need for express lane sh*t.
If you get married in the Philippines you can apply for a 13a as soon as you get a copy of the marriage certificate from the National Statistics Office (or some similar name). In Duchies case he needed to get a foreign marriage recognized.