Interesting link

[Martytb]

Initially started to assist people wishing to attend the '04 Olympics, but has expanded greatly. I obtained major help from the webmaster determining the paperwork needed to marry in China. Upon my return I gave him a detailed account of my experience and he has since edited the marriage in China page and posted my story.

 

http://www.chinaadviser.com/

[JerryL]

Thanks for sharing the story, Marty. Good luck on your visa process!

 

One thing... You mentioned you expected to get a visa within 6 months. Depending on what route through the system you take to get the visa, the expectation may be a little on the optimistic side. Just a heads-up so you don't end up with an impatient bride on the other side!

 

Here's the link to the story, to save folks two clicks through the home page...

 

http://www.chinaadviser.com/marty.html

 

Jerry

[Martytb]

Thank you Jerry. I realized after finding CFL that my time line was way off, but I was going by what the immigration attorney told me. My wife has been telling me one year, and stupid me argued with her about it.

 

Weiping - 1

Marty - 0

[keelec]

Wonderful story.

 

I am currently putting together a package to send to my immigration attorney. I expect my wife to obtain her visa within the next 6 months.

 

Yeah,

I expected that we would get a visa within a few months too..... Well, that was 11+ months ago when I was much more naive. Fortunately my fiancee has been very patient with this whole process.

[natrigon]

Thank you Jerry. I realized after finding CFL that my time line was way off, but I was going by what the immigration attorney told me. My wife has been telling me one year, and stupid me argued with her about it.

 

Weiping - 1 

Marty - 0

Hey,

 

Great story. Ya, like you and Clifford I was lead astray by... well we are at 9 months and counting. NVC just sent the file to GZ.

[rschaadtw]

Jinnan and I took the K3 visa route and the whole process took us 9 months.

 

- Richard

[warpedbored]

When Bing and I decided we were going to marry everyone told us K-1 was faster than K-3. If I had known that I could have avoided six months NSC and sped up the process a few months we would have gotten married in China. The service center you have to file through makes all the difference. If you live in a state that files K-1 through VSC I presume that would be the fastest route.

Carl

[Dean Hall]

Marty,

Welcome on board.

 

I was married in Chongqing also. As I read your story, I could visualize everything. I also got my Cert of Single at Chengdu - quite painless, actually.

 

I was married in March of this year. As you did not mention the medical exam, I take it you were married fairly recently.

 

We started our paperwork late, due to SARS, but have been at it now for 6 months with the paperwork now at DHL in GZ.

 

Dean

[Martytb]

Thank you all. Yes Dean, we were married October 17th. No exam required.

Chengdu was not too bad. It was just difficult for me to understand why an American had to go through all the questioning to get in the door. They kept asking me where I was going. Every answer seemed to be the wrong one. Finally the lady behind me, who spoke very good English, talked to them and they waved me through.

I was already a little ticked off at the way they treated Weiping. Wouldn't let her walk on the sidewalk, and told her she wasn't allowed any closer.

[Guest blsqueaky]

Marty, I can tell you yours was alot easier than mine when Paige and I married in GZ in May, about a week for the paperwork, this was including to get everything translated, notarized and authenticated, plus the physical, and that was an ordeal I never want to go through again, and I believe that GZ still requires this.

 

Thanks again for sharing the story, and wish you the best.

[Martytb]

I believe the marriage process became much easier after the government changed the laws. I spent months, and alot of money, preparing all the documents that the Chinese consulate in Texas told me I would need.

They kept throwing me a curve telling me I had to send them my certificate of singleness with my divorce papers etc. I didn't know what that was, and they were no help at all. The US consulate in Chengdu kept telling me that it was the certificate of marriagability and I could not get it untill I visited them.

I had sent everything I had to the Chinese consulate a week before I left for China, so I included a return Fed ex envelope with Weiping's address on it. When we arrived in Chong Qing we didn't wait for the package. We went to the marriage office with only the COM and the divorce decrees they had stapled to it.

After all I had read and prepared for I was very surprised how quick and easy it was to marry.

[Guest blsqueaky]

Yes Marty, I kept rembembering them telling me that I needed that single certificate, and I finally found it on the China Embassy web site, and it stated that for a few certain states, mine was one of them, they needed this, and all that it turned out to be was for me to send my divorce papers to the Atty Gen here in Ohio, they put a notorized sheet on it with a big gold seal, then I had to send to the Embassy in New York, and they authenticated in Chinese. Lo and behold I did not know that it had an expiration date on it, and it was about 1 week before I applied for "license".

 

Luckily the lady in the office was very nice. She showed me a copy of what I would need, and told me where to get this certificate, U.S. Consulate in GZ, in fact I needed 2 different ones. One was in both English and Chinese, and they still charged me to have that one translated and notorized. Oh well, any way to make a yuan.

[Dean Hall]

Marty,

 

After you guys got married, they gave you the little red bag with the red books, ect. inside. You didnt mention the gold coins. When we were married in March, we were olso given a small red box that has 2 gold plated (it says 24K) coins, somewhat larger than a silver dollar. One is engraved with a Phoenix, the second with a Dragon.

 

Also, did the papers they gave you include a translated, notarized copy of the marriage document. Ours did, and you will eventually need it.

 

Dean

[Guest blsqueaky]

Marty,

 

  After you guys got married, they gave you the little red bag with the red books, ect. inside.  You didnt mention the gold coins.  When we were married in March, we were olso given a small red box that has 2 gold plated (it says 24K) coins, somewhat larger than a silver dollar.  One is engraved with a Phoenix, the second with a Dragon.

 

  Also, did the papers they gave you include a translated, notarized copy of the marriage document.  Ours did, and you will eventually need it.

 

Dean

Dean, I guess that this is what I was trying to say but did a lousy job of it. I think that every place in China is alot different. In GZ, no gold coins, and as far as the papers, we had to take them to another government office and have them all translated and notorized. Oh and they also just handed each of us our red book. I guess that maybe mine was diferent because ours was handled in one of the capital cities.

[Martytb]

No gold coins and no translated copy of the marriage certificate. We did get the two fancy boxes with the little red books, a magazine and a manual(?) I guess you have to give up somethings to speed up the process.

We took care of all the translated documents before we left Chong Qing for Xi An except her divorce decree. I just recieved it the other day.

 

The attorney gave me a list of things I would need and a bunch of paperwork to fill out. I thought that was all of it. Two days ago they sent me 3 documents to check for completeness, and "oh by the way your wife has to sign this one" Thank you!!! Another 2 weeks delay!