E-certificate rollout to boost civil registry transactions

THE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is expecting an increase in digital transactions for civil registry documents through the launch of the e-certificate service.

“In 2019, only 6% were transacting online. So, there were a lot of people transacting in the outlets. That’s why the lines were long,” National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa told reporters on Wednesday.

“After the pandemic, this one increased already to, right now, 27% to 30%. So, online transactions are already substantial, but with the introduction of our e-certificate, we feel that this would further increase and people will transition into digital,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.

The PSA recorded an 18.73 million transaction count from in-person and online requests in 2025, lower than the 18.75 million transaction count in 2024.

On Wednesday, the PSA launched the e-certificate service, which will enable institutions to receive and verify official civil registry documents in digital form.

“This allows stakeholders to transition to modern document submissions — via e-mail, direct portal uploads, or API connections — guaranteeing that sensitive data is transferred both securely and instantaneously,” it said.

Through the service, applicants receive a digital file complete with a unique reference number and QR code that can be shared instantly.

The PSA e-certificate ranges from P290 for birth, marriage, or death certificates to P345 for certificates of no marriage record and no death.

According to the PSA, the bulk of requests still constitute birth certificates.

Data from PSA released on Wednesday showed that the number of registered births from January to September 2025 reached 907,362, which is lower by 8% compared to the 985,916 recorded in the same period in 2024.

Meanwhile, PSA recorded 198,344 marriages in the first nine months last year, reflecting a 30.5% drop from the 285,242 registered marriages in the previous year.

The report also stated a 19% drop in the provisional number of registered deaths from January to August 2025 to 379,097, from registered deaths of 467,954 in 2024.

According to a separate PSA report, the leading causes of death from January to August 2025 were ischemic heart diseases, neoplasms, and cerebrovascular diseases. — Justine Irish D. Tabile