RA 473 AS AMENDED BY RA 9139 (ADMINISTRATIVE

RA 570 (JUDICIAL PROCESS)

PROCESS)

QUALIFICATIONS 1) must be not less 1) applicant must be

than twenty-one born in the
years of age on the Philippines and
day of the hearing residing therein
of the petition; since birth
2) must have resided in 2) applicant must not be
the Philippines for a less than eighteen
continuous period (18) years of age, at
of not less than ten the time of filing of
years; his/her petition
3) good moral 3) good moral
character and character and
believes in the believes in the
principles underlying underlying
the Philippine principles of the
Constitution, and Constitution, and
must have conducted must have
himself in a proper conducted
and irreproachable himself/herself in a
manner during the proper and
entire period of his irreproachable
residence in the manner during
Philippines in his his/her entire period
relation with the of residence in the
constituted Philippines in his
government as well relation with the duly
as with the constituted
community in which government as well
he is living. as with the
4) must own real community in which
estate in the he/she is living
Philippines worth not 4) must have received
less than five his/her primary and
thousand pesos, secondary
Philippine currency, education in any
or must have some public school or
known lucrative private educational
trade, profession, or institution dully
lawful occupation recognized by the
5) must be able to Department of
speak and write Education, Culture
English or Spanish and Sports, where
and any one of the Philippine history,
principal Philippine government and
languages civics are taught
6) enrolled his minor and prescribed as
children of school part of the school
age, in any of the curriculum and
public schools or where enrollment is
private schools not limited to any
recognized by the race or nationality:
Office of Private Provided, That
Education of the should he/she have
Philippines, where minor children of
the Philippine school age, he/she
history, government must have enrolled
and civics are them in similar
taught or prescribed schools
as part of the 5) must have a known
school curriculum, trade, business,
during the entire profession or lawful
 period of the occupation, from
residence in the which he/she derives
Philippines required income sufficient
of him prior to the for his/her support
hearing of his petition and if he/she is
for naturalization as married and/or has
Philippine citizen dependents, also that
of his/her family
6) must be able to read,
write and speak
SPECIAL Filipino or any of
QUALIFICATIONS: the dialects of the
The ten years of Philippines
continuous 7) applicant must have
residence required mingled with the
under the second Filipinos and
condition of the last evinced a sincere
preceding section desire to learn and
shall be understood embrace the
as reduced to five customs, traditions
years for any and ideals of the
petitioner having Filipino people.
any of the following
qualifications:

1. honorably held office

under the
Government of the
Philippines or under
that of any of the
provinces, cities,
municipalities, or
political subdivision
2. established a new
industry or
introduced a useful
invention in the
Philippines
3. married to a Filipino
woman
4. engaged as a
teacher in the
Philippines in a
public or
recognized private
school not
established for the
exclusive
instruction of
children of persons
of a particular
nationality or race,
in any of the
branches of
education or industry
for a period of not
less than two years
5. been born in the
Philippines.

DISQUALIFICATIONS 1) opposed to 1) Those opposed to

organized organized
government or government or
 affiliated with any affiliated with any
association or association of group
group of persons of persons who
who uphold and uphold and teach
teach doctrines doctrines opposing
opposing all all organized
organized governments
governments 2) defending or
2) defending or teaching the
teaching the necessity of or
necessity or propriety of
propriety of violence, personal
violence, personal assault or
assault, or assassination for the
assassination for the success or
success and predominance of their
predominance of their ideas
ideas 3) Polygamists or
3) Polygamists or believers in the
believers in the practice of polygamy
practice of polygamy 4) convicted of crimes
4) convicted of crimes involving moral
involving moral turpitude
turpitud 5) suffering from mental
5) suffering from mental alienation or
alienation or incurable
incurable contagious
contagious diseases
diseases 6) during the period of
6) during the period of their residence in the
their residence in the Philippines, have not
Philippines, have not mingled socially
mingled socially with Filipinos, or
with Filipinos, or who have not
who have not evinced a sincere
evinced a sincere desire to learn and
desire to learn and embrace the
embrace the customs, traditions
customs, traditions and ideals of the
and ideals of Filipinos
Filipinos 7) Citizens or subjects
7) Citizens or subjects with whom the
of nations with Philippines is at
whom the United war, during the
States and the period of such war
Philippines are at 8) Citizens or subjects
war, during the period of a foreign country
of such war whose laws do not
8) Citizens or subjects grant Filipinos the
of a foreign country right to be
other than the naturalized citizens
United States whose or subjects thereof
laws do not grant
Filipinos the right to
become naturalized
citizens or subjects
thereof

PROCESS 1. One year prior to 1. Any person desiring

filing, a declaration to acquire Philippine
of intent under oath citizenship under this
must be filed with the Act shall file with the
Bureau of Justice Special Committee
(Not required for on Naturalization, a
persons born in the petition of five (5)
Philippines and have copies setting forth
 received their primary the requirements and
and secondary declarations under
education in public sec 5 of ra 9139. The
schools or those application must be
recognized by the accompanied by the
Government and not documents
limited to any race or prescribed under sec
nationality, and those 5 (2) of ra 9139
who have resided 2. Within sixty (60)
continuously in the days from receipt of
Philippines for a the report of the
period of thirty years agencies which
or more before filing were furnished a
their application) copy of the petition
2. File a petition with or the date of the
the competent court last publication of
(Court of First the petition,
Instance of the whichever comes in
province in which later, the Committee
the petitioner has shall consider and
resided at least one review all relevant
year immediately and material
preceding the filing information it has
of the petition shall received pertaining to
have exclusive the petition, and may,
original jurisdiction to for the purpose call
hear the petition) in the petitioner for
triplicate form. he interview to ascertain
petition must be his/her identity, the
signed by the authenticity of the
applicant in his own petition and its
handwriting and be annexes, and to
supported by the determine the
affidavit of at least truthfulness of the
two credible statements and
persons, stating declarations made in
that they are the petition and its
citizens of the annexes.
Philippines and
personally know the If the Committee
petitioner to be a shall have received
resident of the any information
Philippines for the adverse to the
period of time petition, the
required by this Act Committee shall
and a person of allow the petitioner
good repute and to answer, explain
morally or refute the
irreproachable, and information.
that said petitioner
has in their opinion Thereafter, if the
all the qualifications Committee believes,
necessary to in view of the facts
become a citizen of before it, that the
the Philippines and petitioner has all the
is not in any way qualifications and
disqualified under none of the
the provisions of disqualifications
this Act. required for
3. Immediately upon Philippine
the filing of a citizenship under
petition, it shall be the this Act, it shall
duty of the clerk of approve the petition
the court to publish and henceforth,
the same at notify the petitioner
petitioner's expense, of the fact of such
 once a week for approval. Otherwise,
three consecutive the Committee shall
weeks, in the disapprove the same
Official Gazette, and
in one of the 3. within thirty (30)
newspapers of days from the receipt
general circulation of the notice of the
in the province approval of his/her
where the petitioner petition, the applicant
resides, and to have shall pay to the
copies of said Committee a
petition and a naturalization fee
general notice of P100,000.00 payable
the hearing posted as follows:
in a public and P50,000.00 upon the
conspicuous place approval of the
in his office or in petition and
the building where P50,000.00 upon the
said office is taking of the oath of
located, setting forth
in such notice the 4. A certificate of
name, birthplace and naturalization shall be
residence of the issued. Within sixty
petitioner, the date (60) days from the
and place of his issuance of the
arrival in the certificate, the
Philippines, the petitioner shall take
names of the an oath of
witnesses whom the allegiance in the
petitioner proposes to proper forum upon
introduce in support proof of payment of
of his petition, and the required
the date of the naturalization
hearing of the processing fee and
petition, which certificate of
hearing shall not be naturalization. Should
held within ninety the applicant fail to
days from the date take the above
of the last mentioned oath of
publication of the allegiance within said
notice.The clerk period of time, the
shall, as soon as approval of the
possible, forward petition shall be
copies of the deemed abandoned.
petition, the 5. Within five (5) days
sentence, the after the applicant
naturalization has taken his oath
certificate, and of allegiance as
other pertinent data required in the
to the Department preceding section,
of the Interior, the the BI shall forward
Bureau of Justice, a copy of the
the Provincial petitioner's oath to
Inspector of the the proper local civil
Philippine registrar. Thereafter,
Constabulary of the the BI shall cancel
province and the the alien certificates
justice of the peace of registration of the
of the municipality applicant.
wherein the
petitioner resides.
4. no petition shall be
heard within the
thirty days
preceding any
election. The hearing
 shall be public, and
the
Solicitor-General,
either himself or
through his
delegate or the
provincial fiscal
concerned, shall
appear on behalf of
the Commonwealth
of the Philippines at
all the proceedings
and at the hearing. If,
after the hearing,
the court believes,
in view of the
evidence taken, that
the petitioner has all
the qualifications
required by, and
none of the
disqualifications
specified in this Act
and has complied
with all requisites
herein established,
it shall order the
proper
naturalization
certificate to be
issued and the
registration of the
said naturalization
certificate in the
proper civil registry
5. The final sentence
may, at the instance
of either of the
parties, be appealed
to the Supreme
Court.
6. If, after the lapse of
thirty days from and
after the date on
which the parties
were notified of the
Court, no appeal
has been filed, or if,
upon appeal, the
decision of the
court has been
confirmed by the
Supreme Court, and
the said decision has
become final, the
clerk of the court
which heard the
petition shall issue
to the petitioner a
naturalization
certificate

*no petition for Philippine

citizenship shall be heard
by the courts until after six
months from the
publication of the
application required by law,
nor shall any decision
granting the application
become executory until
after two years from its
promulgation and after the
court, on proper hearing,
with the attendance of the
Solicitor General on his
representative, is satisfied,
and so finds, that during
the intervening time the
applicant has (1) not left the
Philippines, (2) has dedicated
himself continuously to a
lawful calling or profession,
(3) has not been convicted of
any offense or violation of
Government promulgated
rules, (4) or committed any
act prejudicial to the interest
of the nation or contrary to
any Government announced
policies.

After the finding mentioned in

section one, the order of the
court granting citizenship
shall be registered and the
oath provided by existing
laws shall be taken by the
applicant, whereupon, and
not before, he will be
entitled to all the privileges
of a Filipino citizen.
(As amended by RA 530)