I recently received a message on Facebook asking on how to get a special power of attorney at the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary.
It is a timely question since I’ll also be needing one anytime soon.
I’m not fond of dealing with legal documents but for this blog post, surprisingly, I enjoyed learning about special power of attorney (SPA) that will be used in the Philippines.
If you are not a Filipino and want to learn about SPA, still, keep on reading because you’ll discover informative facts just the same.
First things first, let’s find out what special power attorney is and when to use it.
What Is Special Power of Attorney
The special power of attorney is used when you need someone to act on your behalf, regarding a specific matter, in your absence.
So for OFWs, a trusted immediate family member can act on behalf of the principal (you) for reasons enumerated on the blog post.
When to Use a Special Power Of Attorney
The following are the most common uses of a specific or special power of attorney:
- Selling or buying of real estate/real property/land
- Mortgaging or financing real estate/real property/land
- Making financial decisions
- Managing assets
- Managing a business or company
- Paying off debts
- Collection of money owed
- Signing of agreements or contracts
For Filipinos in Canada, the most common use of special power of attorney is for buying or selling property in the Philippines while in Canada.
Requirements:
- Original and one (1) photocopy of the special power of attorney form
- Two (2) photocopies of 2 different forms of identification wherein your photo and your name as used in your document is shown such as passport, citizenship card or driver’s license of the person(s) who will execute the document
- Fee of CAD $33.75 (cash or money order payable to the Philippine Embassy or Philippine Consulate General Calgary/Vancouver/Toronto)
After learning a little information about SPA, I’ll show you where to get a special power of attorney sample or form in Canada even though the reader asked specifically about SPA at the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary.
How to Get an SPA
To give you an idea about the procedures, you can head on to How to Get a Special Power of Attorney in PCG Calgary. On that post, I’ve shared the process and tips.
For some quick tips, here are the important reminders you have to know in applying for an SPA:
- You can fill up an SPA form and go to the Philippine Embassy or Consulate for the notary public and authentication, which are done at the same for a single fee.
- Or you can bring or mail a notarized SPA for authentication to the Philippine Embassy or Consulate .
Remember, notary public and authentication of SPA are mandatory.
My choice for a simple SPA is to do the first tip; it’s faster and cheaper. But for a complicated document you may want to seek a professional help.
Where Filipinos Can Get Special Power of Attorney in Canada
I directly linked to the Special Power of Attorney sample/form so you wouldn’t get loss on websites of Philippine Embassy and Consulates.
The contact information is also provided in case you need to ask questions.
Related Post: How to Renew Philippine Passport in Canada
EMBASSY OF THE PHILIPPINES, OTTAWA
Location: 30 Murray St, Ottawa, ON K1N 5M4
Tel. No. (+613) 233-1121
Fax No. (+613) 233-4165
Duty Officer: (+613) 614-2846
Email: ottawa.pe@dfa.gov.ph and embassyofphilippines@rogers.com
Website and Facebook Page in Ottawa, Ontario
DOWNLOAD the Special Power of Attorney Form
PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL, CALGARY
Location: Suite 920, 517 1oth Ave. SW Calgary, Alberta T2R 0A8
(Centre 10 Building, corner of 4th and 5th Street)
Tel. No. (403) 455-9343, (403) 455-9457, (403) 455-9483, (403) 455-9346
After work phone: (587) 577-1524
Office hours: 9am to 4pm
Email: calgarypcg@yahoo.ca
Passport: calgarypcg@gmail.com
Website and Facebook Page (unofficial) of the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary, Alberta
Notes about Consular Services (SPA etc) on PCG Calgary
DOWNLOAD the Special Power of Attorney Form
PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL, TORONTO
Location: 7th Floor, 160 Eglinton Ave. East Toronto, Ontario, M4P 3B5
Tel. No. (416) 922-7181
Fax No. (416) 922.2638
Email:
toronto.pcg@dfa.gov.ph
consularmatters@philcongen-toronto.com
torontopc@philcongen-toronto.com
Website and Facebook Page of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto, Ontario
DOWNLOAD the Special Power of Attorney Form (8 types)
PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL, VANCOUVER
Location: Suite 660, 999 Canada Place Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 3E1
Tel. No. (604) 685-1619/(604) 685-7645
Urgent Call: (604) 653-5858
Fax No. (604) 685-9945
Email : vancouver.pcg@dfa.gov.ph and vancouverpcg@telus.net
Website and Facebook Page (unofficial) of the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, British Columbia
DOWNLOAD the Special Power of Attorney Form (3 types under Notarials & Affidavit)
These are what I found online. Out of the four places, I’ll likely get SPA at the Philippine Consulate General in Calgary
So if you know other Philippine Consulate Generals in Canada providing special power of attorney form or sample, can you leave a comment.
The length and content of the special power of attorney samples have some differences so choose the best that suit your needs, especially on the websites of the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto (with 8 SPAs) and Vancouver (with 3 SPAs).
Other Free Special Power of Attorney Samples
I also found other SPA samples for your reference:
Let me know if you know any other free SPA sample and I’ll add it on the list.
For some, a simple SPA will suffice. For others they may require the help of a legal professional. So for whatever purpose you are using the SPA make sure it meets the objectives.
Share your experience. How and where did you get the special power of attorney?
Resource: SPA: Calgary, Alberta
Hello,I want to ask how my cenomar and NSO will be authenticated while I am here in Winnipeg ?Since the Philippines COnsulate are located in Toronto,Vancouver and other big cities.
Please enlighten me coz I really need it to obtain my Certificate of no impediment .
Jun, you can do the 2nd option in the “How to Get an SPA.”
I just wondering who will sign on principal its me or the consulate will sign om that form? Thanks
You’ll be the principal Tin.
Hi. I have question regarding getting an SPA at PCG Calgary. I have the document ready and just needed to be notarize. Can I choose any notary public to notarize my documents? Because the Philippine Consulate in Toronto have specific lists of lawyers who can notarize SPA documents to be used in the Philippines. Also, I downloaded the SPA format of PCG Calgary and it doesn’t have the part where the Notary Public will notarize the document. Having said this, is it really required to notarize the SPA before I will go to PCG Calgary and have it for red ribbon?
It seems that you have already decided to go to the PCG Calgary. Before you go, you should read the tips in getting an SPA. I updated the post to clarify the confusion.
Can i just send the consulate the SPA form that i filed up? Or i have to get it notarized first before i send it to consulate?
I updated the post Jr Vasquez so thanks for asking. I should have done it sooner but it takes another inquisitive reader for me to work on it.
Hi Carolyn thanks for the post, is there an option of not appearing in person? Which I mean can we send the requirements by mail? Thank you
I don’t think it’s possible if you want to have an SPA with authentication. Another option is to get an SPA and send it through mail to a Philippine Consulate for authentication.
Thanks Carolyn! I’ll check your post on that 😉
Thank you for your reply Carolyn. You are so helpful. By the way, we are wanting to have the SPA to sell a property in the Philippines. I reside in Saskatchewan so I’m just wondering how long will it take us to be accommodated by the staff in the embassy in Calgary since you’ve mentioned that there is no need for an appointment. Which do you think is a better day, Monday or Friday? We hope to be there as soon as the embassy opens, and will there be any ID needed for the person in the Philippines whom we are giving the SPA? Thanks again!
Hi Orielle. Fortunately, I have written already how to get SPA at PCG Calgary. Everything you need to know is in that post. If I missed something just let me know. Good luck.
Thanks for the info Carolyn. Did you hire a lawyer and have your SPA notarized before going to the Philippine embassy in Calgary for the red ribbon or did you just compose or downloaded the SPA yourself?
Hi Orielle. I didn’t hire a lawyer. I downloaded the form on the PCG Calgary website and wrote the terms and conditions. Tip: if you are planning to use it for a loan application to a Philippine bank or Pag-IBIG, ask if they have a form for SPA which you can fill up. The forms are not posted in their website, you have to ask for it which I find quite unusual and inconvenient.
Thanks Carolyn for the info.
Hi! I just want to know if the consulate will accept the spa form that i printed from the company where i bought my house in the Philippines. Because they have thier own format or form of SPA. Thanks! Judith
I don’t think it will be an issue. The important thing is that the SPA is authenticated (with red ribbon) by the consulate or embassy.
Hi carolyn! Thanks for all the info you provide!!! My husband and i are from Saskatchewan and we plan on going to Calgary to have an SPA done. We tried contacting them numerous times and you said to be courteous and vigilant but we emailed and called and left messages and sadly, we never heard back from them. Do you happen to know if we need to schedule an appointment or can we just walk in? Thanks so much in advance!
Hi Yei, you don’t have to make an appointment to apply for a special power of attorney. You can read the tips on how I applied for SPA at Philippine Consulate General in Calgary. Hope you let us know how it goes.
Hi. I have a question regarding your article. I am a naturalized Canadian now and selling an old property in the Philippines. Do I need to get an SPA specifically at the Philippine Embassy? Can I have it prepared and notarized by a lawyer of my choice. It’s a general legal document and I don’t know why it has to be stamped by our Consulate. Thank you for your advice.
Hi Anjanette. You can have an SPA notarized by a lawyer but still it has to be stamped/authenticated by the Consulate. If you go to a Philippine Embassy or Consulate, the SPA will be done after a few days and it didn’t costs much. You can download the form and set the conditions. Regarding the reason, I failed to ask the same question at the PCG Calgary but the authentication has been the norms for most documents (transcript, certificates, etc.) use overseas. I’d like to know your thoughts about it as well if you get the chance to ask any concerned authority/staff.