Short answer. You file authenticated copies of the will and the foreign order or decree allowing it, together with a petition for allowance here. The Philippine court then fixes a hearing date and gives notice the same way it would for an original will presented for allowance.

What the law says

When a copy of such will and of the order or decree of the allowance thereof, both duly authenticated, are filed with a petition for allowance in the Philippines, by the executor or other person interested, in the court having jurisdiction, such court shall fix a time and place for the hearing, and cause notice thereof to be given as in case of an original will presented for allowance.

Rule 77, Section 2 — Notice of hearing for allowance. Read the full provision →

Two authenticated documents, not a fresh probate

Recognizing a will already probated abroad does not mean starting the entire probate process from scratch in the Philippines. What is filed is a copy of the will itself and a copy of the foreign order or decree allowing it, both duly authenticated, together with a petition for allowance filed by the executor or another interested person in the court having jurisdiction. This reprobate procedure is meant to give effect here to a foreign court's determination, not to relitigate the will's validity from the ground up.

Who may file, and what authentication requires

The petition for allowance in the Philippines can be filed by the executor named in the will or by any other interested person — heirs, legatees, devisees, or creditors of the estate, for instance — not just whoever administered the estate abroad. Both the will and the foreign order or decree must be duly authenticated, meaning properly certified copies bearing the certifications needed to establish that they are genuine records of a foreign court's proceeding, since a Philippine court has no independent way to verify a foreign probate without that certification attached.

Same notice procedure as a local will

Once that petition is filed, the Philippine court fixes a time and place for a hearing and causes notice of it to be given in exactly the same manner as it would for an original will being presented for allowance for the first time, so interested parties here still get their opportunity to be heard. Nothing about the will having already been probated abroad shortens or waives the notice that local heirs, legatees, or creditors are otherwise entitled to receive.

What the hearing accomplishes for local parties

Because notice is given in exactly the same manner as for an original will, any heir, legatee, devisee, or other interested party in the Philippines has the same opportunity to appear and be heard on the recognition of the foreign probate as they would have had if the will were being probated here for the first time. This hearing is not a rubber stamp of the foreign proceeding; it gives local interested parties a genuine chance to raise objections before the will's recognition here becomes final and enforceable against Philippine assets.

Related provisions

Note. Statute text quoted on this page is reproduced from the official enactment and is linked to the full provision. The explanation around it is general legal information from Vivas & Nobles Law Office, not legal advice. Whether it applies to your situation depends on facts only a lawyer reviewing them can assess.