Getting married in China

[olayie]

Hi,

I (Chinese) and my fiance (British) are working and living in the UK for a few years. We're planning to get married back my hometown Harbin next year. But the registration of aChinese & a foreigner seems a jungle out there in China .

Just wonder anybody who have the experience to give us a few tips.

Cheers!

[kdavid]

I'm sure this is going to vary from country to country, however this is what I've been told by a friend (American) who married a Chinese a few years ago.

I was told NOT to marry in China. Apparently, the Chinese government has up to 999 days to BEGIN processing your marriage certification, or whatever the specific papers are that allow you to apply for a greencard (from China). Once they BEGIN the process, they have up to 10 years to FINISH the paperwork. In theory, or so I was told, it could be up to 13 years before the American government would accept the application for a greencard, and thus the right for my fiance to be accepted into the country on a permanent basis.

I was told to bring my fiance in on a fiance visa, which takes up to a year to process, and then marry once we're located in the States. This is apparently the fastest method.

I'd ask your fiance to check into his or her country's immigration laws to find the particulars, as I'm sure British and American laws are much different in this context.

[cdn_in_bj]

I don't know if the "marriage certification" you referred to is the same thing, but I heard now it's much simpler (no longer required to get a health inspection) and faster (same day approval for the marriage registration) for a foreigner to marry a Chinese national in China.

[roddy]

Given that you're in the UK currently, would it work out simpler to have a registry office marriage in the UK, and then have a ceremony in China? Or would your parents kill you?

[olayie]

Hi guys, thanks for your reply.

Immigration is NOT a problem for us, as I have got permenant residence already in the UK (have been working in the education sector for DfES for a couple of years, visa is no longer an issue).

We're just not sure what documents we need to prepare before we fly back to Harbin.

[olayie]

Hi Roddy,

I found organising a wedding ten thousand miles away is NOT easy!

Two families, two mindsets, two cultures and different traditions! My future in-laws won't like to see us registered in the UK without a proper "celebration" - but we only want ONE ceremony - to make it special.... Also it's much easier to fly his small family to China, than bringing my whole family to the UK (costs + visa, obviously). Therefore the ceremony has to be in China. I've left China for a while now and would really like to be married in China.

UK marriage cert looks rather dull, Chinese ones r much prettier

[roddy]

Fair enough. Start here, and good luck . . .