Text of the provision
Art. 33. Marriages among Muslims or among members of the ethnic cultural communities may be performed validly without the necessity of marriage license, provided they are solemnized in accordance with their customs, rites or practices.
(78a)
Family Code of the Philippines, Executive Order No. 209, approved July 6, 1987. The Code took effect on August 3, 1988 (Republic v. Orbecido III, G.R. No. 154380, October 5, 2005). Reproduced in full.
What this article means
Marriages among Muslims or among members of ethnic cultural communities may be validly performed without a marriage license, so long as they are solemnized according to their own customs, rites, or practices. This closes the chapter of license-exempt marriages by recognizing indigenous and religious marriage customs as a valid alternative to the ordinary civil licensing process.
Muslim marriages are additionally governed by the Code of Muslim Personal Laws, a separate body of law this article does not itself displace.
Related provisions
- Article 34 — the cohabitation exemption from the license requirement.
- Article 27–Article 32 — the other license-exempt marriages in this chapter.
Cases interpreting this article
- Authorities on the Article 33 customary-marriage exemption will be added here as each is verified against primary sources.