Annulment and nullity of marriage cases must now be filed and served electronically, according to the Supreme Court (SC).
In a recent Resolution, the SC expanded Rule 13-A of the Rules of Civil Procedure, which mandates electronic filing and service of pleadings, motions, and other papers in civil cases in first- and second-level courts.
Before this change, Rule 13-A did not cover special proceedings like annulment and nullity of marriage cases. The Office of the Court Administrator recommended their inclusion, noting that these cases follow similar procedures to civil actions.
Section 1 of Rule 13-A has been amended to include annulment and nullity cases, but other special proceedings remain excluded.
The amendment takes effect after publication of the Resolution on April 24, 2025.
Beginning December 1, 2024, all filing and service of pleadings, motions, outgoing court documents, and other papers in civil cases in the trial courts must be done electronically through email, except for initiatory pleadings.
This move is part of the SC’s efforts to streamline court proceedings under the Strategic Plan for Judicial Innovations 2022-2027 (SPJI).
