Can someone automatically remarry after being separated, or when the other spouse had been “absent”, for several years? There are a number of questions along this line that were posted in the Forum. While there’s already an initial discussion on this, the question keeps cropping up, so let’s put this issue to rest once and for all.
The confusion appears to be based on Article 83 of the Civil Code, which reads:
Art. 83. Any marriage subsequently contracted by any person during the lifetime of the first spouse of such person with any other person other than such first spouse shall be illegal and void from its performance, unless:
xxx(2) The first spouse had been absent for seven consecutive years at the time of the second marriage without the spouse present having news of the absentee being alive, or if the absentee, though he has been absent for less than seven years, is generally considered as dead and believed to be so by the spouse present at the time of the contracting such subsequent marriage, or if the absentee is presumed dead according to articles 390 and 391. The marriage so contracted shall be valid in any of the three cases until declared null and void by a competent court.
If you stumbled on this provision, you may have this idea that a spouse can remarry even without securing a judicial declaration of presumptive death. In other words, there is NO need to go to court and it’s enough that any of the following circumstances is present: (a) there be no news that such absentee is still alive; (b) the absentee is generally considered to be dead and believed to be so by the spouse present; and (c) the absentee is presumed dead under Article 390 and 391 of the Civil Code.
This understanding would have been correct, except that Article 83 of the Civil Code was superseded by the Family Code, which now provides:
Art. 41. A marriage contracted by any person during the subsistence of a previous marriage shall be null and void, unless before the celebration of the subsequent marriage, the prior spouse had been absent for four consecutive years and the spouse present had a well-founded belief that the absent spouse was already dead. In case of disappearance where there is danger of death under the circumstances set forth in the provision of Article 391 of the Civil Code, an absence of only two years shall be sufficient.
For the purpose of contracting the subsequent marriage under the preceding paragraph, the spouse present must institute a summary proceeding as provided in this Code for the declaration of presumptive death of the absentee, without prejudice to the effect of reappearance of the absent spouse.
[For a discussion on whether a court-approved legal separation entitles the spouses to remarry, refer to: Can a Legally Separated Person Remarry.]
As the law now stands, a married person must, for purposes of remarriage, file the necessary action in court and ask for a declaration of presumptive death of the “absent” spouse. The crucial differences under the Civil Code and Family Code provisions are:
- 1. Under the Family Code, the time required for the presumption to arise has been shortened to 4 years.
- 2. Under the Family Code, there is need for a judicial declaration of presumptive death to enable the spouse present to remarry.
- 3. Under the Family Code, a stricter standard is imposed: there must be a “well founded belief” that the absentee is already dead before a petition for declaration of presumptive death can be granted. A married person must conduct a search for his missing spouse with such diligence as to give rise to a “well-founded belief” that he/she is dead.
For an extended discussion on declaration of presumptive death, please click here to read the previous article entitled: “Presumptive death of a spouse for subsequent marriage.” Just to be clear: no matter how long a spouse is “absent”, the present spouse CANNOT remarry unless there is a judicial declaration of presumptive death. [See also How Many Years Before a Marriage Becomes Void in the Philippines; Reference: Republic vs. Nolasco, G.R. No. 94053, 17 March 1993]
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Hi Attry Fred.. may mga katanungan lang poh ako..nagpakasal poh ako sa amerikanong bf ko noong 2002 sa Arizona..fiancee visa yung pgpunta ko dun..tapos Hindi nagwork Yung marriage nmin..umuwe ako sa pinas..hindi na kame ngkita for 10 years..may bf poh ako ngayon at gusto nmin magpakasal kaso ND namn kme divorce ng unang Asawa ko at d ko na Alam Kung San sya..ano poh ba gagawin ko? Patulong naman poh..
Morning po! Mag-ask lng sana ako kng ano ba dapat kong gawin kasi hiwalay din po ako sa husband 3yrs na, magkalapit lng po kmi pero wla po kmi komunikasyon at ni singko sentimos po hndi po ako humihingi sa kanya kasi wala namn trabho, umaasa lng sa kanyang magulang at iyong mga anak namin hinahayaan ko nlng na pumunta sa kanya lalo na pag wala ako sa bahay dahil my trbho po ako.. Ang gusto ko lng malaman kung pwd ba ako mgkaroon ng ibang karelasyon habang hindi pa annul iyong kasal namin. Ano ba dapt kong Gawin.?
Hi po.. Ask ko lang po void na po ba ung marriage nmen ng dati kong asawa kasi po since dec 2011 po iniwan po nya kami ng anak ko.. Umwe po sya sa knila sa mindanao at hindi na po bumalik khit singko din po wla po sya nbigay na sustento sa anak ko ngaun po mag 8 years old n po ung anak nmen.. Maiko consider po ba na void na po ung kasal nmen..salamat po
godbless..14 years po ako hiwalay.2006 nag harap kami sa barangay kaharap din dun dswd.nakipaghiwalay po ako peru hindi sya pomerma..pumanta po sa manila para lumayo sa gulo dahil maybanta din sakin.after 7 or 8 months maykinakasama na wife sabi ng anak ko peru baliwala na yun sakin dahil nakipag hiwalay po ako sa kanya.2010 nakatagpo din ako babae at may anak kami 2013 isa at naghiwalay din kami dahil ayaw nya tanggapin mga anak ko sa una. ngaun 2019 gusto mag pa anull asawa ko peru ako pagagastosin nya peru gustuhin koman wala po akong pera. anu po ba dapat kong gawin gusto korin maanull kasal namin.
salamat paki sagot po godbless….
Just wanna ask if there is a law where married couples (civil) could possibly remarry their new live-in partners after being separated (without formal/court process) for almost 20 years.
Hope to receive response from this page. Badly needed. Thank you very much.
good day! Meron ako tanung kong ano mabuti gawin, nag separate kami ng husband ko for almost 7 years. kahit malapit lang ang tinitirhan namin (the same barangay), we never communicate, wala din siyang support na binigay sa 2 anak namin na ngayon ay 2nd College and Grade 9 na. gusto ko sana mag separate na kami. ano ang mga dapat kong gawin? salamat.
May mga batas na ginawa para masolusyunan kaso ito pa yung nagiging reason paramas mahirapan tayo…para san pa at ginawa ang batas kung marami din lang kuskus balukos…gagastos ng malaki para diyan, alam naman natin na maraming di afford ang annulment…tsss
Atty. Fred
11yrs. Na po kmi hiwalay ng asawa ko. Mula nung maghiwalay kmi hindi ako humingi ng sustento..kapitbahay ko lang sya..wala din naman sya trabaho..my asawa at anak na sya ngayon..actually ngsasama plang kmi my anak na sya sa iba.anu po ba pwede ko gawin para mawalang bisa ang kasal namin..pwede na po ba ako magpakasal uli?
need help po atty. Kasi hiwalay na po kmi ng asawa ko its almost 5yrs na po.meron na xa new family then like na nila magpakasal pwede po kaya un? Or ako if plan ko na din magpakasal sa iba? Kahit d na nmin need ung annulment kasi po to expensive..
Good day po Patty: Ask ko lang po kasal ako sa Danish citizen kaso nga po ginawa syang Filipino nag hiwalay kami matagal na po kming hiwalay anu po pwede kong gawin