In the Philippines, marriage isn’t just a celebration of love—it’s a legal commitment that comes with specific requirements. One of the most crucial of these is the marriage license.

Many couples go through a religious or symbolic ceremony thinking they’re already legally married. But under the law, missing even one legal requirement—especially the marriage license—can mean the marriage is not valid at all.

At present, the law provides two main remedies for troubled marriages: annulment and legal separation. Both remedies recognize serious marital problems but address them in different ways.

There is also a proposed law — the Absolute Divorce Bill — which, if passed, will introduce divorce as an additional option. However, as of now, divorce is not yet legal in the Philippines.