Registering a Marriage...

[rogerluli]

Has anyone out there been married in the US and then registered their marriage in China??? I read somewhere that you can register a marriage between a USC and a PRCC at a PRC consulate in the US. So I imagine that it could also be done at the Chinese spouse's hukou city in China. Any experienced members???

[rogerluli]

All I can find is this which is for going to China to be married...

 

 

http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/fhjh/t84256.htm

[sleepless in Houston&CQ]

Darn Roggie you gonna marry this lit lady two times?

My guess is once ain't enough for you? You folks in

ChezWizConSin sure do strange thingies.. guess its all

that cold air you folks breathe in?

Can't blame I would marry my wife again....

so long we'er both the same side of that big pond

life with that big pond tween you.... well it really sucks

[LeeFisher3]

I don't believe you can actually get your marriage registered, but there is another way to accomplish the goal.

 

The first step is to get your US marriage certificate authenticated by the Chinese consulate, basically get the state authentication and then on to the Consulate for the Chinese official stamp.

 

Then you need to take it to the Notary in China, here is where it gets a bit strange. They did the translation and insisted my wife have me come to explain why we needed it done, basically judging whether they were going to give us the document. I explained that there were many hotels in China that would not allow my wife and I to stay together without seeing a marriage book. The explanation worked well for the notary and we have 2 copies of the translation of the Kansas marriage certificate.

 

My understanding is the next step is to get yourself added to your wife's household book. I'm not sure how exactly this is done, but my next trip to China we will work on it. B)

[GZBILL]

I don't believe you can actually get your marriage registered, but there is another way to accomplish the goal.

 

The first step is to get your US marriage certificate authenticated by the Chinese consulate, basically get the state authentication and then on to the Consulate for the Chinese official stamp.

 

Then you need to take it to the Notary in China, here is where it gets a bit strange. They did the translation and insisted my wife have me come to explain why we needed it done, basically judging whether they were going to give us the document. I explained that there were many hotels in China that would not allow my wife and I to stay together without seeing a marriage book. The explanation worked well for the notary and we have 2 copies of the translation of the Kansas marriage certificate.

 

My understanding is the next step is to get yourself added to your wife's household book. I'm not sure how exactly this is done, but my next trip to China we will work on it.

 

Unless you are a Chinese citizen, it is impossible for you to be added to your wife's household book (hukou).

[GZBILL]

Has anyone out there been married in the US and then registered their marriage in China??? I read somewhere that you can register a marriage between a USC and a PRCC at a PRC consulate in the US. So I imagine that it could also be done at the Chinese spouse's hukou city in China. Any experienced members???

 

You are already married. There is no need to get married again in China nor can you even do so legally.

 

As another posted suggested, you only need to get your US marriage certificate authenticated for use in China:

 

1. Get an original marriage certificate issued by your state Vital Statistics Office. It must have be sealed.

 

2. This certificate must then be authenticated by your State Secretary of State or Lieutenant Governor.

 

3. Then it is given to the Chinese consulate serving your jurisdiction. You must be careful because there is only one of approximately 6 Chinese consulates that actually serves your specific jurisdiction.

 

4. This document is than officially translated by a Chinese notary public.

[rogerluli]

Has anyone out there been married in the US and then registered their marriage in China??? I read somewhere that you can register a marriage between a USC and a PRCC at a PRC consulate in the US. So I imagine that it could also be done at the Chinese spouse's hukou city in China. Any experienced members???

 

You are already married. There is no need to get married again in China nor can you even do so legally.

 

As another posted suggested, you only need to get your US marriage certificate authenticated for use in China:

 

1. Get an original marriage certificate issued by your state Vital Statistics Office. It must have be sealed.

 

2. This certificate must then be authenticated by your State Secretary of State or Lieutenant Governor.

 

3. Then it is given to the Chinese consulate serving your jurisdiction. You must be careful because there is only one of approximately 6 Chinese consulates that actually serves your specific jurisdiction.

 

4. This document is than officially translated by a Chinese notary public.

 

Thanks Bill...Not exactly simple is it...Especially since we were married in Nevada and now reside in Wisconsin... Maybe we'll just forget the whole idea...

[GZBILL]

Has anyone out there been married in the US and then registered their marriage in China??? I read somewhere that you can register a marriage between a USC and a PRCC at a PRC consulate in the US. So I imagine that it could also be done at the Chinese spouse's hukou city in China. Any experienced members???

 

You are already married. There is no need to get married again in China nor can you even do so legally.

 

As another posted suggested, you only need to get your US marriage certificate authenticated for use in China:

 

1. Get an original marriage certificate issued by your state Vital Statistics Office. It must have be sealed.

 

2. This certificate must then be authenticated by your State Secretary of State or Lieutenant Governor.

 

3. Then it is given to the Chinese consulate serving your jurisdiction. You must be careful because there is only one of approximately 6 Chinese consulates that actually serves your specific jurisdiction.

 

4. This document is than officially translated by a Chinese notary public.

 

Thanks Bill...Not exactly simple is it...Especially since we were married in Nevada and now reside in Wisconsin... Maybe we'll just forget the whole idea...

 

For all practical purposes, you really don't need a copy of your marriage certificate in China. The days of hotels checking marriage certificates of prospective registrants are virtually over. Still, for visa purposes, it might be useful.

 

I'd bet you could do the whole process via the mail. That's the way I handled most of my documents.

[rogerluli]

Has anyone out there been married in the US and then registered their marriage in China??? I read somewhere that you can register a marriage between a USC and a PRCC at a PRC consulate in the US. So I imagine that it could also be done at the Chinese spouse's hukou city in China. Any experienced members???

 

You are already married. There is no need to get married again in China nor can you even do so legally.

 

As another posted suggested, you only need to get your US marriage certificate authenticated for use in China:

 

1. Get an original marriage certificate issued by your state Vital Statistics Office. It must have be sealed.

 

2. This certificate must then be authenticated by your State Secretary of State or Lieutenant Governor.

 

3. Then it is given to the Chinese consulate serving your jurisdiction. You must be careful because there is only one of approximately 6 Chinese consulates that actually serves your specific jurisdiction.

 

4. This document is than officially translated by a Chinese notary public.

 

Thanks Bill...Not exactly simple is it...Especially since we were married in Nevada and now reside in Wisconsin... Maybe we'll just forget the whole idea...

 

For all practical purposes, you really don't need a copy of your marriage certificate in China. The days of hotels checking marriage certificates of prospective registrants are virtually over. Still, for visa purposes, it might be useful.

 

I'd bet you could do the whole process via the mail. That's the way I handled most of my documents.

 

My actual reason was if something were to happen to my wife. We have 3 and soon to be 4 houses in China in her name only. Makes me a bit queasy to think of the red tape involved if she were to predecease me. Maybe better would be to just get a will drawn up in China specifying who gets what...

 

Visa issues were in the back of my mind also...

[rogerluli]

Has anyone out there been married in the US and then registered their marriage in China??? I read somewhere that you can register a marriage between a USC and a PRCC at a PRC consulate in the US. So I imagine that it could also be done at the Chinese spouse's hukou city in China. Any experienced members???

 

You are already married. There is no need to get married again in China nor can you even do so legally.

 

As another posted suggested, you only need to get your US marriage certificate authenticated for use in China:

 

1. Get an original marriage certificate issued by your state Vital Statistics Office. It must have be sealed.

 

2. This certificate must then be authenticated by your State Secretary of State or Lieutenant Governor.

 

3. Then it is given to the Chinese consulate serving your jurisdiction. You must be careful because there is only one of approximately 6 Chinese consulates that actually serves your specific jurisdiction.

 

4. This document is than officially translated by a Chinese notary public.

 

Thanks Bill...Not exactly simple is it...Especially since we were married in Nevada and now reside in Wisconsin... B) Maybe we'll just forget the whole idea...

 

For all practical purposes, you really don't need a copy of your marriage certificate in China. The days of hotels checking marriage certificates of prospective registrants are virtually over. Still, for visa purposes, it might be useful.

 

I'd bet you could do the whole process via the mail. That's the way I handled most of my documents.

 

My actual reason was if something were to happen to my wife. We have 3 and soon to be 4 houses in China in her name only. Makes me a bit queasy to think of the red tape involved if she were to predecease me. Maybe better would be to just get a will drawn up in China specifying who gets what...

 

Visa issues were in the back of my mind also...

 

http://sos.state.nv.us/business/apostille/index.asp

 

Bill was quite right in his info. Here is the website for acquiring an APOSTILLE, or certification of your marriage license by a state authority for a foreign marriage registration. Mine is from Nevada where we were married and will be costing $20 and then off to the PRC consulate in Chicago and badda-bing...Mission accomplished... B)

[GZBILL]

Has anyone out there been married in the US and then registered their marriage in China??? I read somewhere that you can register a marriage between a USC and a PRCC at a PRC consulate in the US. So I imagine that it could also be done at the Chinese spouse's hukou city in China. Any experienced members???

 

You are already married. There is no need to get married again in China nor can you even do so legally.

 

As another posted suggested, you only need to get your US marriage certificate authenticated for use in China:

 

1. Get an original marriage certificate issued by your state Vital Statistics Office. It must have be sealed.

 

2. This certificate must then be authenticated by your State Secretary of State or Lieutenant Governor.

 

3. Then it is given to the Chinese consulate serving your jurisdiction. You must be careful because there is only one of approximately 6 Chinese consulates that actually serves your specific jurisdiction.

 

4. This document is than officially translated by a Chinese notary public.

 

Thanks Bill...Not exactly simple is it...Especially since we were married in Nevada and now reside in Wisconsin... B) Maybe we'll just forget the whole idea...

 

For all practical purposes, you really don't need a copy of your marriage certificate in China. The days of hotels checking marriage certificates of prospective registrants are virtually over. Still, for visa purposes, it might be useful.

 

I'd bet you could do the whole process via the mail. That's the way I handled most of my documents.

 

My actual reason was if something were to happen to my wife. We have 3 and soon to be 4 houses in China in her name only. Makes me a bit queasy to think of the red tape involved if she were to predecease me. Maybe better would be to just get a will drawn up in China specifying who gets what...

 

Visa issues were in the back of my mind also...

 

In that case, you might want to have a fully authenticated and translated copy of your marriage certificate handy.

 

I wouldn't worry about a will. Under Chinese law, all property (real estate, cars, money, etc ...) obtained by either of the parties during the course of their marriage belongs to both spouses. No exceptions unless specified in written documents agreed to by both spouses -- and even then subject to court approval.

 

As for visas, with an authenticated and translated copy of your US marriage certificate you'll be ok.

 

By the way, the reason you couldn't get married again in China even if you wanted to is because in order to marry in China you must obtain an affidavit from the US consulate stating that you are legally able to marry. To obtain this document you must be either single (never married) or show proof of all prior marriages and how they were terminated. If you can't do that, the consulate must refuse to issue the document.

 

The issue wouldn't be bigamy; can you actually even commit bigamy by marrying the person you are married to? The issue would be perjury. You cannot help but commit perjury by making a sworn statement that you are single when, in fact, you aren't.

[IllinoisDave]

Has anyone out there been married in the US and then registered their marriage in China??? I read somewhere that you can register a marriage between a USC and a PRCC at a PRC consulate in the US. So I imagine that it could also be done at the Chinese spouse's hukou city in China. Any experienced members???

 

You are already married. There is no need to get married again in China nor can you even do so legally.

 

As another posted suggested, you only need to get your US marriage certificate authenticated for use in China:

 

1. Get an original marriage certificate issued by your state Vital Statistics Office. It must have be sealed.

 

2. This certificate must then be authenticated by your State Secretary of State or Lieutenant Governor.

 

3. Then it is given to the Chinese consulate serving your jurisdiction. You must be careful because there is only one of approximately 6 Chinese consulates that actually serves your specific jurisdiction.

 

4. This document is than officially translated by a Chinese notary public.

 

Thanks Bill...Not exactly simple is it...Especially since we were married in Nevada and now reside in Wisconsin... Maybe we'll just forget the whole idea...

 

For all practical purposes, you really don't need a copy of your marriage certificate in China. The days of hotels checking marriage certificates of prospective registrants are virtually over. Still, for visa purposes, it might be useful.

 

I'd bet you could do the whole process via the mail. That's the way I handled most of my documents.

 

My actual reason was if something were to happen to my wife. We have 3 and soon to be 4 houses in China in her name only. Makes me a bit queasy to think of the red tape involved if she were to predecease me. Maybe better would be to just get a will drawn up in China specifying who gets what...

 

Visa issues were in the back of my mind also...

 

In that case, you might want to have a fully authenticated and translated copy of your marriage certificate handy.

 

I wouldn't worry about a will. Under Chinese law, all property (real estate, cars, money, etc ...) obtained by either of the parties during the course of their marriage belongs to both spouses. No exceptions unless specified in written documents agreed to by both spouses -- and even then subject to court approval.

 

As for visas, with an authenticated and translated copy of your US marriage certificate you'll be ok.

 

By the way, the reason you couldn't get married again in China even if you wanted to is because in order to marry in China you must obtain an affidavit from the US consulate stating that you are legally able to marry. To obtain this document you must be either single (never married) or show proof of all prior marriages and how they were terminated. If you can't do that, the consulate must refuse to issue the document.

 

The issue wouldn't be bigamy; can you actually even commit bigamy by marrying the person you are married to? The issue would be perjury. You cannot help but commit perjury by making a sworn statement that you are single when, in fact, you aren't.

I bet it'd work in Utah.

[Randy W]

 

My actual reason was if something were to happen to my wife. We have 3 and soon to be 4 houses in China in her name only. Makes me a bit queasy to think of the red tape involved if she were to predecease me. Maybe better would be to just get a will drawn up in China specifying who gets what...

 

Visa issues were in the back of my mind also... B)

 

 

This is what you need to do for HER

[2mike&jin]

Thanks Bill...Not exactly simple is it...Especially since we were married in Nevada and now reside in Wisconsin... Maybe we'll just forget the whole idea...

 

 

1. Nevada...Easy....IMHO

A. Get (1) Certified Marriage Abstract or (2) Certified Copy of Marriage Certificate. I will assume you were married in Clark County (Las Vegas). I'm sure you already have one or both of these...required for AOS. If not you can get on web site and obtain...easy..14 days.

 

2. NOW, if the assumptions above are mostly correct, take A REAL ONE OF THE ABOVE, (not a copy) (now you know why you get more than 1 copy of the original) and $20.00 US FUnds (they say money order - but I think a check works - Check their Web SIte - sos.state.nv.us mail it to:

 

Secretary of State

Capitol Complex

Carson City, Nevada 89701

 

This will result in you having an "Apostille" that is mandatory to prove a marriage at a Consulate or in CHINA.

 

3. Next time you go to CHina - go to the Chinese Notary and have it translated/notarized. This will usually take about 1 or 2 days.

 

4. The reason you want this is not for the Hoku but for a VISA. You need to prove you are married. Married based Visa's (long discussion about this on CFL several months ago) can and do require proof of marriage. If you marry in China - then you have the Red Book for proof - if you were married in the US, you need a "CHinese' Proof.

 

5. I can also see "joint ownership" requirements, "inheritence" requirements, and other "legal issues" that might be assuaged with this document. I've been so advised by Legal Counsel within China.

 

We were married in Las Vegas - and it's exactly what we are doing - and intend to do on our next trip to China. We are not going to do it at the Chinese Consulate in LA -- too hard and too complicated. I will just get a simple "travel visa" (of course I will ask for multiple entry and 90 day stays - but they may not give it..depending) and when I arrive in China -- we will do 4/5 above for my CHinese wife's property, wills, and my extended visa. Best of Luck...it's doable!

[GZBILL]

Thanks Bill...Not exactly simple is it...Especially since we were married in Nevada and now reside in Wisconsin... Maybe we'll just forget the whole idea...

 

 

1. Nevada...Easy....IMHO

A. Get (1) Certified Marriage Abstract or (2) Certified Copy of Marriage Certificate. I will assume you were married in Clark County (Las Vegas). I'm sure you already have one or both of these...required for AOS. If not you can get on web site and obtain...easy..14 days.

 

2. NOW, if the assumptions above are mostly correct, take A REAL ONE OF THE ABOVE, (not a copy) (now you know why you get more than 1 copy of the original) and $20.00 US FUnds (they say money order - but I think a check works - Check their Web SIte - sos.state.nv.us mail it to:

 

Secretary of State

Capitol Complex

Carson City, Nevada 89701

 

This will result in you having an "Apostille" that is mandatory to prove a marriage at a Consulate or in CHINA.

 

3. Next time you go to CHina - go to the Chinese Notary and have it translated/notarized. This will usually take about 1 or 2 days.

 

4. The reason you want this is not for the Hoku but for a VISA. You need to prove you are married. Married based Visa's (long discussion about this on CFL several months ago) can and do require proof of marriage. If you marry in China - then you have the Red Book for proof - if you were married in the US, you need a "CHinese' Proof.

 

5. I can also see "joint ownership" requirements, "inheritence" requirements, and other "legal issues" that might be assuaged with this document. I've been so advised by Legal Counsel within China.

 

We were married in Las Vegas - and it's exactly what we are doing - and intend to do on our next trip to China. We are not going to do it at the Chinese Consulate in LA -- too hard and too complicated. I will just get a simple "travel visa" (of course I will ask for multiple entry and 90 day stays - but they may not give it..depending) and when I arrive in China -- we will do 4/5 above for my CHinese wife's property, wills, and my extended visa. Best of Luck...it's doable!

 

You left out one crucial step.

 

After authentication by the State Secretary of State, you must have it further authenticated at the Chinese consulate serving the jurisdiction of issue of the certificate.

 

Without authentication by the Chinese consulate, in most cases the document is useless in China and will not be accepted by local Chinese authorities.

 

I'm not sure which Chinese consulate serves the Nevada area, but let's take the Chinese consulate in San Francisco for example. All you need to do is mail in your original document, a copy of this document, a copy of your passport or other identification and a check / money order for about $25. You also need to provide return pre-paid postage. A FedEx account number or pre-paid airway bill is sufficient.

Edited January 5, 2009 by GZBILL (see edit history)