How to get your Philippine NSO/PSA certified documents on time

A Birth Certificate from the National Statistics Office (NSO), now known as Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is an important document that establishes the birth of a child.

To quote a paragraph from wikipedia:

"The documentation of births is a practice widely held throughout human civilization, especially in China, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Persia. The original purpose of vital statistics was for tax purposes and for the determination of available military manpower. Births were initially registered with churches, who maintained registers of births. This practice continued into the 19th century. The compulsory registration of births with governmental agencies is a practice that originated in the United Kingdom in 1853."

Schools from elementary, high school and college are now requiring students to present their NSO certified birth certificate. Companies that are hiring employees also require that their staff present their birth certificate. When you apply for an electronic passport for the first time, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) also requires that you present a NSO certified birth certificate that they keep for your file. The same is true for the Social Security System (SSS) and the Government Service and Insurance System (GSIS) as well as the Philippine Health Insurance System and the Department of Transportation & Communications (DOTC) when you apply for a drivers' license.

The need to secure this document is very important that a lot of people are going to the NSO as early as five o'clock in the morning to form a queue in Iloilo City. After forming a long line, the NSO gate opens at around six am. The guard on duty at this time issues a form that you need to fill up one copy per request with attached numbers. The one copy per request is like this, if you are requesting for yourself and for somebody else, you need two forms. If you need a separate official receipt for each request, then you need to fill up another form.

Filling up the form, you need the data of your birth, such as your birth date and birth place. If you are late registered, then you need the date when you registered your birth certificate at your local municipality. They will also require the full name of your father and the maiden name of your mother. if you haven't asked for this data, better ask your parents now.

If your are the direct descendant of the person you are requesting the form, then you are authorized to claim the document. But if you are not a direct descendant, then secure an authorization and valid ID (xerox copy) of your sister, brother, neighbor or friend that you are requesting the NSO documents.

The NSO or PSA Iloilo City office starts processing at seven thirty in the morning. You can easily get your documents after an hour or so and so much affordable than requesting it online. As of today, the PSA certified birth certificate is charged at One Hundred Forty Pesos per document. You can easily apply online at https://www.psaserbilis.com.ph website.