Question on White Book (Translation of Marriage Certificate)

[jpapish]

I just got married to my longtime Chinese girlfriend last week in Wuhan! Yeah! So we got our little red books from the marriage office and then we went to the notary office. We couldn't wait the 8 days to get the White Book so we had them mail it to us in Beijing where we are living now. The White Book arrived today with the translation of our marriage certificate. My wife is telling me that we need to go to the foreign affairs office here in Beijing to have them make sure the translation is legit, but we are not sure if that is entirely correct. Does anyone have any experience with this part? Also, what would be the step after the foreign affairs office? Do we go to the US Consulate here in Beijing to have them officially recognize our marriage? We are hoping to apply for a spousal visa in the future, but maybe not for another year or two. Thanks for your help!

Jonathan

[Beachey]

Congratulations! I would think the White Book from Wuhan should be fine. You should be able to look at the translation to see if there are any concerns - misspellings, etc. You should not have to take it to the Beijing office. Generally, you need White Books from where your spouse's Hokou is.

 

You can read on the Beijing Embassy web site about getting married in China but until you are ready to file for the immigrant visa, there is no requirement to register with the US embassy.

 

http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/acs_married.html

[Kyle]

We got our white books in wuhan. no issues

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/41297-police-report/page__view__findpost__p__549879

[Randy W]

As far as "official Recognition", you ARE legally married, and that's recognized anywhere in the world. The English translation is needed for immigration purposes - there's no need to second-guess what the Wuhan bureau did, as long as the white book contains a certified English translation.

[jpapish]

So it sounds like our white books from the notary public office in Wuhan are legit. How long are the white books valid for? We don't plan on starting the spousal visa process for another year or 18 months so was it moot to get the white books now?

[bergamot]

So it sounds like our white books from the notary public office in Wuhan are legit. How long are the white books valid for? We don't plan on starting the spousal visa process for another year or 18 months so was it moot to get the white books now?

Congratulations ! being happy forever

 

it is valid as long as you have the same red marriage book

Edited August 30, 2011 by bergamot (see edit history)

[dnoblett]

So it sounds like our white books from the notary public office in Wuhan are legit. How long are the white books valid for? We don't plan on starting the spousal visa process for another year or 18 months so was it moot to get the white books now?

 

Only docs that expire are Certificate of No marriage used for fiancee visas, and police certs. Other docs such as birth and marriage certs as well as english translations are considered valid indefinitely.

[jpapish]

Thanks everyone for your quick replies...am looking forward to using this forum to hear stories, ask questions, and make new friends as we get the immigration process started!

 

Jonathan and Crystal

[Ryan H]

I just got married to my longtime Chinese girlfriend last week in Wuhan!

 

Congratulations! My wife and I registered for marriage in Wuhan, you probably went to the same office as us.

 

Best wishes to you!