Getting Married to a Filipina Girl

So you are in love after having found the Filipina girl of your dreams.

The next logical step will be to tie the knot. As simple as it may sound, marrying a foreigner is not an easy feat. In part, there are the legalities and paperwork that needs to be filed before you can legally call that special Filipina girl your wife.

As intimidating as a lifetime commitment may be for the second time around, or third, there are numerous advantages of settling down. For one, you get someone to constantly nag you to make you feel wanted! Just kidding.

The fact of life is when we get older…ok…as I get older, loneliness is a constant companion. Its natures way of ensuring that we don’t forget our instinctive biological duty, make of that what you will!

Naturally once you have made up your mind about settling down, the foremost thing is to ensure that both parties are aware of each others commitment.

You might have children from your previous marriages or she might have kids from a previous relationship too. These are just some of the “thorny” issues that need to be clarified before anything else. An important fact, if you do not come from an Asian background, you must be fully aware that your Filipina girl is very attached to her roots…her extended family.

Marrying your Filipina’s Family?

When you marry your Filipina girl, you are going to marry her “ENTIRE” family! So, don’t be surprised if her family will regard you as the “Central Bank or the Federal Reserve” for “Bailouts” in times of domestic economic crisis.

This is not to say that you shouldn’t help when there is a real need within the family. Make sure these boundaries are clearly delineated, this can easily become a potential issue for contention in your future relationship.

There are several other aspects of your impending relationship that need to be explored.

Remember, it takes both sides to make things work. Marrying a person from a different culture and country is quite unlike marrying the girl next door. If you have any prior notions that this marriage will be a walk in the park, then you are very much mistaken.

I had an American friend called Mike who got engaged to a Filipina girl. They had a baby girl from the relationship and wanted to migrate to the States after the baby was born. Before the US Embassy in the Philippines would grant Mike’s fiancée a visa, the US embassy wanted a DNA test on the baby to confirm the paternity of the baby! According to Mike, the reason was because the baby was too tanned and didn’t reflect Mike’s pale skin!

These are just some of the unexpected hurdles and absurdities that you might come across, on your walk down the aisle.

If you want a better way of going about all this, it’s best that you take a look at Perry Gamsby’s book “Filipina 202” first.

For the price of a bottle of good wine, the book will definitely save you a lot of frustrations and disappointments. This is not an exaggeration as the author has been through it all and survived to tell you all about it! The good thing about Perry is he doesn’t claim to know everything and in fact he keeps a forum to support his readers. Check out his book by following this link, “Filipina 202”.

Ensure you do not make any mistakes, about marrying your Filipina girl, learn from others who have. Why reinvent the wheel?

Read these other resources and educate yourself first:

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Philippine Dreams

This is an amazing story of an Australian man who left the rat race and discovered tropical paradise, happiness and the woman of his dreams!

Want to live in the Philippines? Make sure you click on this link to find out.

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Filipina 101

This is a great read if you are considering meeting a Filipina of your dreams, your not alone and luckily others have found happiness and can steer you in the right direction.

Find the Filipina of your dreams! Make sure you click on this link to find out how.

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Filipina 202

This book is much more than just information on marriage and migration. It’s about relationships, expectations and exploring motives on both sides.

Everything you need to know about getting married in the Philippines. Make sure you click on this link to find out about all of it.

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Philippines Survival Handbook

If you want to be safe in the Philippines and lets face it there are no guarantees, this guide will show you some of the pitfalls and risks you may face and more importantly, how to avoid them!

Is it safe to travel to the Philippines? Make sure you click on this link to find out if the Philippines are for you.

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Philippines Property Primer

The Philippines Property Primer is an essential read for any foreigner who is even remotely considering buying, selling or renting property in the Philippines!

Don’t lose your money. Make sure you click on this link before you buy or rent in the Philippines.

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