Naturalization Through Judicial Order (C.A.

473)
You’ll have to contact a lawyer and go through the judicial process if you
don’t qualify for Administrative Naturalization.
Judicial Naturalization takes about two and a half years from the filing of
the intention to become a Filipino (remember after that filing, there is a
mandatory 1 year waiting period before you start the court process
itself).
Costs include the regular published fees as well as legal fees for
accepting the case, preparing the pleadings and appearing in court.
Both the time and the cost estimate really depends on your
circumstances and your available documents and proof.
Judicial naturalization has 2 time-based requirements among other
prerequisites:

1. You must have resided in the Philippines for 10 years;

2. You must have waited 1 year after you filed your intention to become
a Filipino with the Office of the Solicitor General.
That’s a lot of time.
Thankfully, both can be shorted or waived if certain conditions are met.
For instance, the 10-year residence requirement becomes 5 years if you
were born in the Philippines or married a Filipina (one hopes this is also
true if you married a Filipino!).
This is also true if you were a teacher for at least 2 years in a school not
limited to a particular race. Likewise you’re good if you established a
new industry or invention in the Philippines or if you honorably held
office in the Government of the Philippines.
Now, the 1 year waiting period can be totally waived if you have
continuously lived in the Philippines for 30 years or if you were born and
educated in the Philippines in a CHED recognized school not limited to
a particular race for your primary and secondary education. (You must
have also given Philippine education to your children.)
Do You Qualify For Judicial Naturalization?
Like the administrative process above, there are certain qualifications:

 You have to be 21 years old at the hearing of the petition;

 You must have resided in the Philippines for 10 years;
 You are of good moral character and believe in the Philippine
Constitution. You must also have conducted yourself in an
irreproachable manner with the government and the community in
which you live;
 You must own real estate not less than 5,000 pesos or must have
some lucrative trade or profession (yes, that’s USD 100 and just
goes to show how old this 1939 law really is! Essentially, it means
you’ve got to be able to support yourself);
 You must be able to speak and write English, Spanish or one of the
main Philippine languages;
 Your minor children must have been enrolled in CHED recognized
school open to all races where Philippine history, government and
civics are taught during your entire period of residence.

Step 1: File Your Intention To Become Filipino With The

Bureau Of Immigration

You don’t have to file with the Office of the Solicitor General and wait for
1 year if:

1. You’ve lived in the Philippines for 30 years or

2. You were born and educated in a non- race restricted CHED
recognized school for your primary and secondary education.
If either of those two apply to you, then you can immediately file your
petition with the court.
If not, you’ll have to file a petition with the Bureau of Immigration. It
should have the below information:

 You full name;

 Your place, date of birth and age;
 Your personal description;
 Your occupation;
 Your current address;
 Your last foreign address and citizenship;
 Date of your arrival and the name of the vessel or aircraft that you
used;
 Declaration that you enrolled your minor children in a non-race
restricted school recognized by the CHED where Philippine history,
civics and government are taught;
 Certificate showing the date, place and manner must be shown to
prove lawful entry;
 2 photographs of yourself
To do this properly, it’s really best to consult with your lawyer.
There are some requirements that can be a bit difficult for a first timer to
get right.
I’ve read some Supreme Court Rulings where the case could have
easily succeeded had a lawyer familiar with the process stepped in.
Think about it this way – it’ll save you having to do the process all over
again.
After this filing, you must wait one year before starting the actual court
process.

Step 2: Creating Your Petition For Naturalization At Court

After you’ve filed your Intention to Become a Filipino citizen with the
Office of the Solicitor General and waited one year, you’ll need to create
a Petition to file in Court.
You’ll need to have 3 copies.
Your petition will need to include:

 Your full name;

 Your place and date of birth;
 Your current and former addresses;
 Your occupation;
 Your civil status and any changes to it;
 The name, age, birthplace and residence of your wife and children;
 Port of debarkation and – if remembered – the ship on which you
arrived;
 Declaration that you qualify and don’t possess any of the
disqualifications;
 Declaration that you filed your Intention to become a Filipino;
 Declaration that you will live in the Philippines from the start of the
petition till it is granted;
 You’ll also need to include names and post-office addresses of any
witnesses you want to be part of the case;
 Your signature
You’ll also need the following attachments:

 The Affidavit of 2 Filipino citizens who have personally known you for
10 years (or 5, depending on whether you qualify) required. They’ll
attest to your good moral character and state you’re qualified for
citizenship.
 The certificate of arrival;
 The declaration of intention;

Step 3: Filing The Petition And The Court Process

Philippine court process for naturalization is pretty straight forward.
However, it will still take at least a year and a half (sometimes longer)
for the process to be complete.
Why?
Well, there are publication requirements that take up 3 weeks or a
month and a half counting arrangements and raffling.
In addition, there is a waiting period of 3 months after publication before
court can start.
Document gathering and a case’s particular circumstances can also
make this period much longer, if it is not addressed prior to court.
 Your complete petition will be filed with the Regional Trial Court in
your city. You must have lived in that city for at least a year.
 Your case will be raffled to a particular judge and courtroom of your
city’s Regional Trial Court.
 Your court will accept it or raise a concern.
 If your Petition’s been accepted, the Clerk of Court will publish your
petition once a week for 3 weeks in a newspaper where you live. The
newspaper is also determined by raffle.
 Your petition will also be posted by the Clerk of Court in a public
place stating your name, birthplace and residence, your date and
place of arrival in the Philippines, the names of your witnesses, and
the hearing date .
 Your first hearing can only be held sometime after 90 days from the
last publication in a newspaper.
 Your evidence and witnesses will be presented.
 Your court decision will be released.
 Your petition will also be forwarded to several other government
departments for action and to inform them.
And yes, you’re done!