single certificate

[MeteorRain]

where do i get those? going for cr1 so i need to bring that form to china. so i can marry my gf. thanks

[samsong]

Call your state's vital records department for issuance.

[Bert]

where do i get those? going for cr1 so i need to bring that form to china. so i can marry my gf. thanks

 

You can go to the closest consulate in China and pay $35, I believe it is. You just fill out a form, swear all the information is true, sign, and have someone at the consulate notarize it. You can probably do the same thing in the US. I have seen a copy of the form somewhere on the internet. Keep in mind, you may have to have it translated into Chinese to marry in China.

[johnxiaoying]

You'll need certified copies of any previous divorce papers to take to the consulate.

 

I know of one *&^% guy who got a single certificate in Guangzhou even though he forgot to mention he had a current wife in California. It's been reported to ICE and Guangzhou but as far as I know he has not received any penalty.

[Zhou Zhou]

I found a form on the web...it's in English and Chinese. I completed it and had it notarized then sent it to my states, department of state for notarization...then sent it to Chinese consulate in TX w/$25 and they blessed it. A guy in China told me you can get one in CAN for 6,000¥. Good Luck!

[Bert]

I don't think there is anything magical about the forms. Below is a Word Document found on the Guangzhou Consulate site. It has all the pertinent information. I wouldn't use it "as is" unless you do this at the Guangzhou, but you can change the header to suit your needs. It is very similar to the one filled out in Shanghai (never used), but I only had to fill out the first page.

 

http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/up...csaffidavit.doc

[Sebastian]

If you don't want to get this form in USA, you can get it from any US Consulate/Embassy in China. I got mine done in BeiJing, took about 20 minutes. Was a nice side trip. Bring certified copies of any divorce certificates / death certificates. If you've never been married before, that's ok - the ConOff will know what to do.

[samsong]

Stateside, authentication is a step-by-step process; city/county-state-Federal Govt.- foreign embassy.

 

An embassy will not authenticate a document until it has been authenticated by the US Department of State. After authenticated by an embassy, the documents are ready to be taken overseas.

[Appaullo]

When I did this I followed the following process :

 

1. Went to my county records office and had them do a search on me for marriages, when none came up they gave me a "Letter of no record". Meaning they had no record of me being married.

 

2. Went to my local State authorized Secretary of State and had them notarize the record with the State seal.

 

3. Mailed this to the local Chinese Consulate and had them review it and then notarize it with their seal.

 

Once my wife and I got to Wuhan the Marriage office sent us to the local translating place, we waited a little less than an hour, got it translated, returned to the marriage office and got married.

 

If you do not have enough time here in the States before your trip to China, then go the American Consulate route that others here have suggested.

[samsong]

When I did this I followed the following process :

 

1. Went to my county records office and had them do a search on me for marriages, when none came up they gave me a "Letter of no record". Meaning they had no record of me being married.

 

2. Went to my local State authorized Secretary of State and had them notarize the record with the State seal.

 

3. Mailed this to the local Chinese Consulate and had them review it and then notarize it with their seal.

 

Once my wife and I got to Wuhan the Marriage office sent us to the local translating place, we waited a little less than an hour, got it translated, returned to the marriage office and got married.

 

If you do not have enough time here in the States before your trip to China, then go the American Consulate route that others here have suggested.

You and ZZ have said the same thing and apparently it is true. Researching it out, it looks like the US Department of State isn't involved anymore. It now goes thru city/county- state- and then to the embassy/consulate bypassing DOS altogehter! Damn, things can change, can't they?

My docs, went city/county- state- DOS- and then to the Chinese embassy when I did it. I know because I remember seeing Colin Powell's stamped signature. I wonder how and when DOS got left out of the loop?

Okay- so currently it's city/county- state- and then the embassy/consulate. -NO more US Department of State.

Gee, what a dynamic state of affairs!

 

 

edit: I see now. It appears documents going to the embassy go thru the US DOS. Documents going to the Consulates omit that step.

 

That explains it. Had me worried there...

 

http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/gzrz/t84255.htm

Edited May 24, 2009 by samsong (see edit history)

[samsong]

When I did this I followed the following process :

 

1. Went to my county records office and had them do a search on me for marriages, when none came up they gave me a "Letter of no record". Meaning they had no record of me being married.

 

2. Went to my local State authorized Secretary of State and had them notarize the record with the State seal.

 

3. Mailed this to the local Chinese Consulate and had them review it and then notarize it with their seal.

 

Once my wife and I got to Wuhan the Marriage office sent us to the local translating place, we waited a little less than an hour, got it translated, returned to the marriage office and got married.

 

If you do not have enough time here in the States before your trip to China, then go the American Consulate route that others here have suggested.

You and ZZ have said the same thing and apparently it is true. Researching it out, it looks like the US Department of State isn't involved anymore. It now goes thru city/county- state- and then to the embassy/consulate bypassing DOS altogehter! Damn, things can change, can't they?

My docs, went city/county- state- DOS- and then to the Chinese embassy when I did it. I know because I remember seeing Colin Powell's stamped signature. I wonder how and when DOS got left out of the loop?

Okay- so currently it's city/county- state- and then the embassy/consulate. -NO more US Department of State.

Gee, what a dynamic state of affairs!

 

 

edit: I see now. It appears documents going to the embassy go thru the US DOS. Documents going to the Consulates omit that step.

 

That explains it. Had me worried there...

 

http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/gzrz/t84255.htm

That's got my curiosity ablazing now. I wonder why the consulates omit DOS?

 

Back to th OP; if this is the route you want to take, check with your state's vital records department for a single status certificate. That'll get you started.

[Randy W]

That's got my curiosity ablazing now. I wonder why the consulates omit DOS?

 

Back to th OP; if this is the route you want to take, check with your state's vital records department for a single status certificate. That'll get you started.

 

 

Well, the consulates are part of the Dept of State, so they're not actually skipping anything, except for Colin Powell's stamp

 

 

As long as they're certified by the Dept of State, that is good enough for the Chinese

Edited May 24, 2009 by Randy W (see edit history)

[samsong]

That's got my curiosity ablazing now. I wonder why the consulates omit DOS?

 

Back to th OP; if this is the route you want to take, check with your state's vital records department for a single status certificate. That'll get you started.

 

 

Well, the consulates are part of the Dept of State, so they're not actually skipping anything, except for Colin Powell's stamp

 

 

As long as they're certified by the Dept of State, that is good enough for the Chinese

Aren't embassies also a part of DOS? Why is authentication required at DOS for documents going to the embassy and it isn't needed for documents going to the consulate?

[Bert]

My fiancee told me that her friend said we could go to the Consulate for the single certificate. I told her there was no way that the Consulate could prove a negative. I went there to appease her. I joked with her that the only thing I could do is raise my hand and say I swear... Much to my surprise, I was able to get one, but the Consulate did not check any records. It was exactly that; I just had to raise my hand and swear that I had never been married and have my signature witnessed. Then I had to pay 100 RMB to have it translated. I never used the thing.

[Sebastian]

Bert-Jie Lin - well, if you had gotten married in China, you'd need to have this 'affadavit of marriageability'. Getting it done at a US Embassy/Consulate in China is the easiest way - it's ONE PLACE to go, ONE DOCUMENT, about 20 minutes with a small queue. It needs to be officially translated into Chinese - what I recommend anyone to do is to go to the Marriage Office in yer lass' city, and inquire as to WHICH translation office you should go to - they'll point you to the right place. For us , it was dead easy, as 'that translation office's work' is accepted by the marriage office.

 

MeteorRain - you have two avenues available to you -

 

1. do it stateside before you jump or

2. do it in China at a US Consulate/Embassy.

 

let us know which route you choose.

 

 

GOOD LUCK !

Edited May 24, 2009 by Sebastian (see edit history)