Cross-Border Jurisdictional Protocol
The Philippines deposited its instrument of accession to the Hague Service Convention on March 4, 2020, with the Convention entering into force domestically on October 1, 2020. The Supreme Court of the Philippines designated its Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) as the Central Authority. The Philippines objected to Article 8 (except service on its own nationals) and to the Article 10(a) postal and 10(c) interested-party channels, so most requests must go through the OCA, while extrajudicial documents route through an additional authority, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
We prepare and submit the Hague request to the OCA in Manila, which coordinates with judges in the area where the document is to be served to complete the Article 6 certificate.
Start a Philippines Central Authority filing →For extrajudicial documents under Articles 17 and 18, the Philippines designates the Integrated Bar of the Philippines as an additional authority alongside the OCA — we route filings to the correct authority based on document type.
Confirm the correct filing channel →English is an official language of Philippine courts, which simplifies filing preparation compared to jurisdictions requiring certified translation into a local language.
Prepare your filing →Complete National Jurisdiction
Active network of local agents, court officers, and Central Authority specialists covering every administrative region.
All international document handoffs are executed pursuant to local sovereignty statutes and returned with court-certified evidentiary declarations.
Judicial Knowledge Base
The Philippines deposited its instrument of accession on March 4, 2020, with the Convention entering into force domestically on October 1, 2020.
No. The Philippines objected to the Article 10(a) postal channel, so requests should be routed through the Office of the Court Administrator rather than direct mail.
The Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, based in Manila.
Yes. For extrajudicial documents under Articles 17 and 18 of the Convention, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines serves as an additional designated authority.
English and Filipino are both official languages of Philippine courts, so English-language U.S. filings typically don't require the certified translation many other Hague jurisdictions demand.
Consult with our international legal support specialists about service of process in Philippines.