Friday, May 02, 2008 NSO hikes fees for papers by at least P15 per copy
BEGINNING today, the National Statistics Office (NSO) will increase the rate per copy of certificates of marriage, death and birth from P125 to P140 following an order from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Noel Rafols, NSO 7 spokesman, said the P15 increase represents the payment for documentary stamps. This is being implemented in compliance with Sections 173 and 188 of the Tax Code and Revenue Memorandum No. 13-2008 dated March 31, 2008.
Rafols said the applications for the issuance of certificates filed through the Batch Request Query System (Breqs)are also subject to the additional fee.
Breqs links the civil registry of Local Government Units (LGUs) to the Civil Registration System through e-mail.
In the old rate, if an applicant from Bogo City will secure marriage, death or birth certificate from the Breqs of an LGU, he will be required to pay P125 per copy for the NSO and P50 for the Local Civil Registry Office (LCRO), or a total of P175. With the additional P15, an applicant shall pay P190.
But the advantage is that the applicant need not go to Cebu City to secure the certificate, thus saving for himself money for fare and meals, travel time and effort.
Certificates
The fee for the issuance of no marriage is P180, which is higher than securing authenticated copies of marriage, death and birth certificates. However, this is also raised to P195.
Mandatory
Rafols said that although not all documents need a documentary stamp, it is mandatory for every copy of the authenticated certificates.
Usually, applicants are securing certificates on "security paper" to avoid getting fake ones. Security paper has official markings which can only be traced with machines.
Most people securing birth certificate are applying for jobs abroad because it is a mandatory requirement in getting a passport.
Those who are getting death certificates are mostly heirs of a deceased person who left them with inheritance such as properties and money, or insurance benefits.
The Overseas Contract Workers and those who are seeking annulment of marriage are mostly the ones securing marriage certificates. (EOB)
