PSA Correction of Name: RA 9048 Fees and Steps
Philippine Statistics Authority · civil registry
Quick answer
Under RA 9048 a civil registrar can correct a clerical error and change a first name with no court order; RA 10172 adds sex and the day and month of birth. Filing is ₱1,000.00 for a clerical error, ₱3,000.00 for the rest.
Last verified
Where these figures come from
About these figures: the numbers below come from PSA's official published sources: Philippine Statistics Authority | Administrative Petition for Correction under RA 9048, as Amended (https://psa.gov.ph/administrative-petition-for-correction, retrieved 2026-08-31); PSA Serbilis (https://www.psaserbilis.com.ph/, retrieved 2026-08-31). Agencies change fees and rates without notice, so confirm with PSA before you rely on them. Last verified: 2026-08-31.
Two laws let a civil registrar fix a birth record without a court order. The fee depends on which law your problem falls under, and the gap between them is ₱2,000.00.
Which law covers your problem
| Law | What it authorises |
|---|---|
| RA 9048 | Correction of a clerical or typographical error in an entry, and change of first name or nickname, in the civil register, without a judicial order |
| RA 10172 | Correction of a clerical error in the sex, and in the day and month of the date of birth, without a judicial order |
Both name the same officers: the City or Municipal Civil Registrar, the Consul General, and the Shari’ah Court.
The fees
| Petition | Civil registry office | Philippine Consulate |
|---|---|---|
| Correction of Clerical Error (CCE) under RA 9048 | ₱1,000.00 | US$50 |
| Change of First Name under RA 9048, or CCE under RA 10172 | ₱3,000.00 | US$150 |
For a migrant petition there is an additional payment on top:
| Migrant petition, additional payment | Amount |
|---|---|
| CCE under RA 9048 | ₱500.00 |
| Change of First Name under RA 9048, or CCE under RA 10172 | ₱1,000.00 |
So a migrant petitioner correcting a clerical error pays ₱1,500.00 in total, and one changing a first name pays ₱4,000.00. Those two totals are arithmetic on PSA’s published lines, not figures PSA prints.
Where to file
| Where you were born | Where to file |
|---|---|
| In the Philippines | The civil registry office where the birth certificate is registered |
| Abroad | The Philippine Consulate Office where the birth is reported |
Note the rule is the office of registration, not the office nearest to where you live now. That is what the migrant petition and its additional payment exist to work around.
Who may file
| # | Who |
|---|---|
| 1 | The document owner, if of legal age |
| 2 | The owner’s spouse |
| 3 | Children |
| 4 | Parents |
| 5 | Siblings |
| 6 | Guardian |
| 7 | Grandparents |
| 8 | Any other person duly authorised by law or by the owner of the document, through an SPA |
Where the owner of the record is a minor, or is physically or mentally incapacitated, PSA states the petition may be filed by the spouse, or any of the children, parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, guardians, or persons duly authorised by law.
What to bring
| # | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 1 | At least 2 public or private documents showing the correct entry or entries on which the correction or change will be based |
| 2 | Any other documents the petitioner, the city or municipal civil registrar, or the consul general considers relevant and necessary for approval |
PSA does not publish a fixed list beyond that, so no fixed list is stated here.
What it costs to see the result
A corrected record still has to be ordered as a certificate afterwards.
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Correction of Clerical Error petition | ₱1,000.00 |
| Fresh PSA birth certificate, viewable online copy | ₱130.00 |
| Total | ₱1,130.00 |
| Change of First Name petition | ₱3,000.00 |
| Fresh PSA birth certificate, viewable online copy | ₱130.00 |
| Total | ₱3,130.00 |
| A CENOMAR afterwards, if the name change affects it | ₱185.00 |
The PSA birth certificate guide covers the ₱130.00 document, and the CENOMAR guide the ₱185.00 one.
If the record cannot be found at all
That is a different problem with a different route. PSA issues a Negative Certification where no record is found, and PSA Serbilis publishes an Electronic Endorsement Request Form, free of charge, which you print and present to the Local Civil Registry Office together with the Negative Certification.
Contacts
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| PSA RA Unit, Legal Service | 8400-06-86, 0918-911-3641 |
| Released Administrative Petitions | Published on PSA’s own petition page |
| PSA Complex Central Outlet | CRS Building, PSA Complex, East Avenue, Quezon City, (02) 8461-0500 loc. 212 and 211 |
| PSA Serbilis hotline | 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday, Globe 09166755074 and Smart 09289175394 |
The PSA helpline guide lists the full outlet directory.
Why a correction matters downstream
A wrong entry blocks documents at other agencies, and each of those has its own fee to redo.
| Document | Published fee | Where it is covered |
|---|---|---|
| Philippine passport, regular | ₱950.00 | New passport |
| Philippine passport, expedite | ₱1,200.00 | Passport renewal |
| NBI clearance | ₱160.00 including the e-payment fee | NBI clearance requirements |
| LTO student permit | ₱250.00 | Student permit |
| LTO driver’s licence, new | ₱685.00 | New driver’s licence |
| BIR TIN Card, replacement | ₱100.00 | TIN ID |
| DFA apostille, regular | ₱100.00, released after 5 working days | Apostille and red ribbon |
What this page does not cover
PSA does not publish, on the pages read for this guide, the processing time for a petition, the appeal route if a petition is denied, the posting or publication requirement, the list of documents that count as public or private for the two-document rule, or the process for corrections outside RA 9048 and RA 10172 that still need a court order. None of those are stated here.
Related
The PSA birth certificate guide covers the record being corrected. The CENOMAR guide and the PSA marriage certificate guide cover documents a name change flows into.
Frequently asked questions
- What is RA 9048?
- PSA describes it as an act authorising the City or Municipal Civil Registrar, the Consul General and the Shari'ah Court to correct a clerical or typographical error in an entry, and to change a first name or nickname in the civil register, without need of a judicial order.
- What is RA 10172?
- An act authorising the same officers to correct a clerical error in the sex, and in the day and month of the date of birth, in the civil register, again without a judicial order.
- How much does it cost?
- ₱1,000.00 for a Correction of Clerical Error under RA 9048, and ₱3,000.00 for a Change of First Name under RA 9048 or a Correction of Clerical Error under RA 10172. At a Philippine Consulate the figures are US$50 and US$150. A migrant petition carries an additional ₱500.00 or ₱1,000.00 respectively.
- Where do I file?
- If you were born in the Philippines, at the civil registry office where the birth certificate is registered. If born abroad, at the Philippine Consulate Office where the birth is reported.
- Who may file?
- The document owner if of legal age, the owner's spouse, children, parents, siblings, guardian or grandparents, or another person duly authorised by law or by the owner through a Special Power of Attorney. Where the owner is a minor or physically or mentally incapacitated, the same relatives or an authorised person may file.
- What supporting documents are needed?
- At least 2 public or private documents showing the correct entry or entries on which the correction or change is based, plus any other documents the petitioner, the city or municipal civil registrar, or the consul general considers relevant and necessary for approval.
- Do I need a lawyer or a court?
- Not for these petitions. The whole point of RA 9048 and RA 10172 is that the correction is made administratively by the civil registrar, consul general or Shari'ah Court without a judicial order.
- Who do I ask about a filed petition?
- PSA publishes a contact for its RA Unit under Legal Service: 8400-06-86 and 0918-911-3641. The same page carries a Released Administrative Petitions section.