Underage marriage possible?

[phallune]

I heard that men's age for marriage is 22 and for women it is 20.

I'm a 20 year old American man and would like to marry an 18 year old mainland Chinese girl.

We want to get our marriage certificate so that she can apply as my dependent to live with me in Taiwan under my residence visa in Taiwan.

The only way to do this is to marry her, but we are both underage.

I REALLY want her to come live with me in Taiwan, because I am currently studying as an undergraduate in Taiwan and this will keep us together.

Afterwards I want to bring her back to the US to live with me and I can support her for the rest of her life.

 

Is it possible to circumvent this law? Will they enforce it if we show up at the marital office and try to get a marriage certificate?

 

I heard that we can get a written letter from our parents with their signed fingerprints to allow us to get married.

Do we have to get a fake ID?

Thank you

[shuoshuo]

Getting married isn't the only way to do it.

 

You want to fake an ID? Are you of sound mind?

[phallune]

I don't want to get a fake ID. I meant that sarcastically.

[simc]

Am I missing something here ...

 

Why don't you get married in America instead? Isn't it only the US authorities who care if she stays in America?

[shuoshuo]

Doesn't the US offer visas for fiances? Maybe you can start with that.

[phallune]

Oh I forgot about the fiance visa. The thing is that I'm currently living in Taiwan with an ARC for the next 2 years so I heard I need to marry her first so I can let her come to Taiwan to live with me as a dependent. Afterwards I can do the fiance thing.

[roddy]

Good luck with the marriage age restriction - that's written right into the Marriage Law, and I can't see you getting around it without consent from both sets of parents, some sympathetic officials, and a whole lot of hassle. If you move to the mainland today and start working on it you may get somewhere in... ah, two years...

 

Sorry to be discouraging. Welcome to the site though, and we'll look forward to hearing how you get on. 

[Basil]

Um...

 

I do not doubt the depth of feelings that the two of you have for each other...

I just want to point out that, in my experience at least, there is a certain maturity gap between an 18 year old western girl and an 18 year old Chinese girl. 

 

These two extra years in China might prove good for both of you in the long run...

[Lu]

Not sure why you can't both come to the US and get married there? But even if you would do that, are you sure you can then bring a PRC woman to Taiwan? Restrictions have loosened a lot, but have they loosened that far? And I'm pretty sure there's no way a 20-year-old can work in Taiwan legally, so can she work to support herself? And if so, does she have any marketable skill, at 18?

All in all, my advice (which you didn't ask for but which I'm giving anyway) is to keep in close contact, visit as often as possible, and basically do the long-distance thing until you're both in a better position to make it a short-distance thing. For example, it would be very helpful if she would finish a university degree, and you as well. Your goals of wanting to support her & care for her are admirable, but need some work to be fully implemented.

[phallune]

Thanks roddy,

I'll get the parental consent letters from our parents, then try to get a marriage certificate.

Any relaxed marital offices I can go to, to make the application?

 

2 years long distance relationship will probably kill the relationship.

Also I don't need to work at the moment. I have lots of money saved up to support her for the next few years, give her a nice education and lots of English lessons, until I go back to the US and get a job.

 

Alternatively, I could finance her to go to college and get a good education in China and plenty of English lessons, while I visit her every few months from Taiwan.

Then, in 2 years I can pick her up and bring her to the US.

But, I was really hoping we could live together. I already got a new 3 bedroom apartment in Taiwan so I'll be bummed if she can't come here. I'll be all alone.

[roddy]

I may have inadvertently given you the impression this is going to be possible. I'm pretty sure it isn't. But given it's likely to take ages to sort out even if it is, why not just enrol on a university course in whatever city she's in, then you can be together either way. I'm sure whatever sacrifices you have to make will be worth it. 

[Melanie1989]

Thank goodness, the details aren't as worrying as they appeared from the header!

 

I agree with everybody else, i don't think you are going to get around it. You are very young to be getting married (she says), is there a reason for the rush? Maybe i'm just being a hopeless romantic, but if you two love each other enough you can absolutely handle a long distance relationship. It will only kill the relationship if you allow it to.

 

Saying that, i would advise looking everywhere you can and maybe making a few phonecalls, but i agree that you'll be chasing your own tail. Good luck though.

[Lu]

Alternatively, I could finance her to go to college and get a good education in China and plenty of English lessons, while I visit her every few months from Taiwan. Then, in 2 years I can pick her up and bring her to the US.

This sounds like a very good idea. Make sure you get yourself a good education and lots of Chinese lessons as well, both will come in extremely useful. The education not just to find a job, but also for visa reasons, and the Chinese lessons to be able to communicate better with her and her family (and everyone in Taiwan).

You won't be all alone in Taiwan. It's a great place with lots of nice people. If a three-bedroom apartment is too big for you by yourself, get some nice roommates. Find some foreign friends, some Taiwanese friends, and enjoy yourself, so that when she comes (to visit or to live with you) she can share your social life. Make sure she spends time with friends as well. That way, at least you can both be assured that the other person is happy, and you'll have things to tell each other when you talk to each other.

Good luck to you both, let us know how it goes!

[shuoshuo]

It doesn't have to be a long distance relationship.  Just enrol her in a university near you (isn't that just the easiest way to get a visa?), and you guys can live together for now.  You can get married when you are of age by law.

[Shelley]

"2 years long distance relationship will probably kill the relationship."

 

Doesn't this ring alarm bells for you?

 

If this is the "love of your life, your soul mate" or however else you want to describe a loving, long lasting relationship it should be strong enough to stand a 2 year long distance relationship.

 

Also if you both make it through the next 2 years, it will probably make a stronger, more loving relationship.

 

Whats the hurry? You are both young, enjoy what you can when you can with each other and don't rush into marriage, its never a good thing to marry in a rush.

 

I hope it works out for you whatever happens.

[shuoshuo]

Let's stop judging this guy.  Let's help him find a solution to be with the person he loves. If it's not possible, just tell him it's not possible. Nobody in love wants to resort to a long distance relationship.  

[phallune]

It doesn't have to be a long distance relationship.  Just enrol her in a university near you (isn't that just the easiest way to get a visa?), and you guys can live together for now.  You can get married when you are of age by law.

 

Wonderful idea. I will see about getting her enrolled at my university. I'm scared that she won't get accepted, but I can try sending in her application to all the universities in the area.

The application period for this year has ended already so we would have to wait another year for this, so I need another plan.

 

Maybe can sign her up for a tour group to Taiwan and make her escape the group so we can get married in Taiwan.

The marriage age in Taiwan is 18 for males and 16 for females.

Then use the marriage certificate to get her as a dependent on my ARC.

She will leave with the tour group, then re-enter with her dependent ARC

but this won't work because foreigners can't marry if they are enrolled as undergraduates, and a mainland Chinese person must have been in Taiwan for at least 6 months with a job.

 

Back to the China marriage, if I slip the the guy in the office 20,000RMB do you think he might overlook our age?

Or maybe if I show up with her parents and get them to convince them that it's okay?

BTW both our parents are okay with us. They just want us to be happy

 

I still would like us very much to live together in Taiwan for a few years then go to the US to get married. They still speak Chinese in Taiwan so she would be more comfortable this way before she is fully submerged in English.

 

Make sure you get yourself a good education and lots of Chinese lessons as well, both will come in extremely useful. The education not just to find a job, but also for visa reasons, and the Chinese lessons to be able to communicate better with her and her family (and everyone in Taiwan).

Oh and I've already been living in Taiwan for 3 years. I came to Taiwan by myself when I was 17 years old. My Chinese is already okay

[bande]

I have had some experience with the us laws in the last year. The original poster is probably not capable of getting permanent residency for his girlfriend in the short term. The two best sites to consult are visajourney and candleforlove. If the girlfriend can get a student visa to go to Taiwan for a few years that would be the best. Otherwise, the op may want to go to the her area for a while. To get an immigrant visa, the American needs a job in the us with a salary at roughly 125 percent of the poverty line or a large financial asset number. Most people in that age range would probably need their parents to cosponsor. The I-864 on the USCIS website has all the information you need. Second, you have to prove that you have a real relationship, which can be difficult if you apart. All the China applications go through Guangzhou, which can be a tough place. If your parents can sponsor you and you can wait till she is of marriage age and live married in China for two years, you will have an easier time during the application process.

[imron]

The application period for this year has ended already so we would have to wait another year for this, so I need another plan.

 

 

Back to the China marriage, if I slip the the guy in the office 20,000RMB do you think he might overlook our age?

You'll probably be better off slipping the university enrollment officer a 20,000 RMB 'late application fee'

[roddy]

Hey, slip me that cash and I'll give you some priceless advice*

 

*may already have been posted