Personal appearance is required for notarization at the Philippine Consulate General.

If the applicant is unable to personally appear at the Philippine Consulate, the Apostille process is an option to have your private documents authenticated to be used in the Philippines. Please refer to the Apostille Section for more information.

NOTARIZATION

Examples of documents that may be notarized by the Consulate General are affidavits, special power of attorney, contracts to sell, extrajudicial settlement of estate, deed of donation, authorization letters, bank documents, insurance forms, certifications, NBI clearance applications, and other private documents.

The Philippine Consulate General can notarize your document if:

• It was not issued by a government agency, whether Philippine or foreign;
• It has not been notarized by a notary public;
• It will be used only in the Philippines; and
• The signatory/ies will personally appear at the Consulate General.

The notarized document may have, as the covering page, an ACKNOWLEDGEMENT or JURAT with the seal of the Consulate General and signed by the Consular Officer.

HOW TO APPLY

1. No appointment is needed for notary services at the Philippine Consulate General in Houston. Walk-ins are accommodated on a first-come, first-serve basis from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays except declared Philippine and U.S. holidays.
2. Prepare and print your documents.
3. The documents will be signed at the Consulate General in the presence of a Consular Officer. If the document requires a witness, it is the applicant’s responsibility to bring independent witness(es). The Consulate’s personnel cannot act as witnesses in documents submitted for consular notarization.
4. Pay the processing fee.
5. Applicants have the option to collect their notarized documents at the Consulate General on the specified release date, or you may have it delivered to your address by providing a self-addressed, stamped envelope. A representative may also claim the notarized document on the applicant’s behalf upon presentation of a signed authorization letter, a copy of the official receipt issued by the Consulate General, and the representative’s valid ID.

WHAT TO BRING

1. Unsigned document
   • • Printed document/s for consular  notarization, together with attachments, if any
     • Valid government-issued ID with signature
   • Present each signatory’s original valid ID such as passport or driver’s license.
   • Submit a photocopy of each signatory’s valid ID for each set of documents to be notarized.
   • The name and signature in the document to be notarized must be consistent with the information shown in the valid ID presented. The Consulate General’s Acknowledgement or Jurat page shall reflect the name of the signatory as shown in the ID presented. Extra set of documents for the Consulate General’s file
   • One (1) additional set of unsigned documents and copy/ies of valid ID/s
2. Extra set of documents for the Consulate General’s file
   • One (1) additional set of unsigned documents and copy/ies of valid ID/s
3. Self-addressed, stamped Envelope (if you opt to have your notarized document released through courier service

Please note that the Consulate General has no photocopier/printer onsite.

Applicants have the option to receive their passports/consular documents by mail, using a self-addressed, stamped envelope. 

The Consulate strongly recommends courier services through companies such as DHL, FedEx, or UPS to lessen the possibility of loss or delay in the receipt of the passports/consular documents.

Applicants may opt to use USPS’ services, but are also advised to secure a package tracking number. Moreover, applicants are solely responsible for ensuring that the self-addressed, stamped envelope contains enough stamps for it to reach its intended destination from the Consulate, that handwriting is legible, and delivery address indicated is clear and correct. 

The Consulate is not liable for any delay or loss during mail delivery or while documents are in the custody of the courier service. 

PAYMENT

• USD 25.00 regular processing fee per document
•  Additional USD 10.00 per document for expedite processing
• Accepted payment methods: cash, credit/debit card (convenience fee applies), or money order payable to “Philippine Consulate General”

The Philippine Consulate General reserves the right to require additional documents to establish the identity of the person executing the document. For further inquiries, please send e-mail to houstonpcg.legal@gmail.com.

If the applicant is unable to personally appear at the Philippine Consulate General, the Apostille is an alternative to authenticate your private documents for use in the Philippines.

The Consulate General does not apostille documents and no longer issues “red ribbon” certificates.

THE APOSTILLE PROCESS

An Apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document. It is issued by a country that is party to the Apostille Convention to be used in another country which is also a party to the Convention. The United States is a party to the Convention and the Philippines also acceded to the Convention on 14 May 2019.

Thus, since 15 May 2019, the Consulate no longer authenticates the signatures of public documents notarized by any US notary public or those signed/issued/certified by a federal, state, county, city, university, or school official.

Using these types of documents in the Philippines will require an Apostille Certificate. After having your document notarized by a local notary public, submit the notarized document to any of the below list of competent authorities to obtain an Apostille certificate. The apostilled document can now be used in the Philippines for its intended purpose.

The following websites provide useful information on the requirements for securing an Apostille Certificate:

Apostilled document/s no longer require additional authentication by the Philippine Consulate General. Once apostilled, the documents may already be used in the Philippines, and be given legal effect.

• Affidavit of Appearance
• Affidavit of Citizenship for Batas Pambansa Blg. 185
• Affidavit of Consent, Support, Guaranty and Authorization (For Waiver Exclusion Ground of non-Filipino minors 15 years old and below)
• Affidavit of Discrepancy
• Affidavit of Identity
• Affidavit of Illegitimacy
• Affidavit of One and the Same Person
• Affidavit of Renunciation of Philippine Citizenship
• Affidavit of Support and Consent with Special Power of Attorney
• Affidavit of Support and Guarantee
• Affidavit of Undertaking
• Affidavit
• General Power of Attorney
• Revocation of Special Power of Attorney
• Special Power of Attorney (Blank)
• Special Power of Attorney (to Claim Pension)
• Special Power of Attorney (to Sell Property)
• Special Power of Attorney (to Withdraw from Bank)
• Sample NBI Form