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Voldermort · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 597

Does anybody have any experience of getting married in China? I have two main issues that are not too clear to me:

1. All the information I can find states that you must be a resident in China for at least 21 days before applying to get married. Nowhere can I find how exactly they class "resident". Does this simply mean "be in China", "registered with the PSB" or "have a resident permit"? I would guess the latter but I can't imagine everybody wishing to marry first having to work here with a Z visa. Is it possible to marry while holding a non Z visa?

2. What happens to your legal documents after marriage? I heard once of a man who had to pay the government so much money every year for 5 years before becoming a permanent resident. I have also been told that you can apply for this directly.

Current Chinese law states that foreigners may only work with a licensed company, also foreigners may only take jobs that the local Chinese cannot do. If a foreigner were to in effect become a Chinese citizen, surely this would change and we could seek ESL jobs within those unlicensed schools.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

I have never heard of this 21 day residency rule; I would assume this applies to holders of a residency permit.
In my case, it was not relevant. Marriage was a simple matter of going to the registrar (who was suitably miffed at having to sacrifice her Friday afternoon office hours which she had planned on skipping for some private business as she charmingly let us know).

I was required to prove my bachelorhood. We both had to undergo a physical exam (the procreative apparatus was, apparently, of uppermost importance then). These days, I hear no medical checkup is demanded.

A 'D' visa can be successfully applied for once you have resided an uninterrupted 5 years here (proof by way of having visas back to back in your passport and supporting documents to prove this). You can apply for a 'D' visa in the place where your wife is a registered citizen (hukou).

Volodiya · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 10:49 am Post subject:

Voldermoot, where are you from? Do you think you might ever go back there? With some countries, it is difficult, to impossible (practically speaking) to get back in, with wife in tow. It's cruel, it's anti-family, but it happens.

Take the U.S., for example. If, you take your girl to the U.S. to marry, after you get re-settled there yourself in a good job, with some respectable income, you can bring her over on a fiance visa, and marry- normally without too much difficulty. But, if you marry abroad, you may have a hell of a time getting her into the U.S., afterward. (Just an example, perhaps not applicable in your case.)

Other posters to this forum are familiar with this problem from unfortunate, personal experience.

Voldermort · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 597

Volodiya, thankyou for your concern. I am from the UK, and strictly speaking I have no intention at all of going back there, I hate the damn place. Also the fiancee has point blank refused to ever leave China for anything more than a fortnight vacation. It looks like I am settling in here for the long haul.

anthyp · Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 1320 Location: Chicago, IL USA

Actually, I have been doing a bit of research for this for that FAQ we are putting together ( so nobody worry, there won't be any little anthys running around China anytime soon).

Here's what I found (I am quoting from the website here):

chongcheng · Posted: Mon May 09, 2005 3:37 pm Post subject:

I got married in Dec 2004 in Guangdong.

We paid 12 kuai (might have been 9) for the marriage certificate.
No medical necessary (I think this had changed a month or two before)
I had to get a certificate of non-impedement(?) showing single status, notarised/translated.
The photos of us together.

Thats about it. oh and we couldnt pay cash, we had to deposit the money into a bank account and show the officer(?) the deposit slip.

hope this helps.

C

brsmith15 · Joined: 12 May 2003 Posts: 1142 Location: New Hampshire USA

Last 2 posts about summed it up. I ran into a hitch -- and an expense --that added a wrinkle. Both my new wife and myself had been married before and we both needed certificates of divorce: hers from China and mine from the secretary of state in New Hampshire (USA). These had to be notarized: 600 RMB! Then I took my NH cert to the consulate, paid $50, and got the marriageability thing.

bendan · Joined: 18 Jun 2004 Posts: 739 Location: North China

You have to go to a British consulate and get proof of your unmarried/divorced status. Basically you go there, give them lots of money (1000RMB +), fill in a form, then 21 days later they give (or send - costs extra) you a couple of crappy bits of paper that look like pisspoor forgeries of official documents . Take these crappy bits of paper, together with your passport, to the place in your city which handles international marriages. I don't know if you need a Z visa, as I had one, but you definitely don't need the medical certificate any more. Assuming everything's OK and it's not busy, it only takes a few minutes, and costs very little.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

I have read too that the medical has been abolished, but I wasn't sure whether this applied to nationally mixed couples.

Anyway, why not give your marriage a twist of exotism and take your bride to HONG KONG? It may cost a little more in terms of transport costs and accommodation, but on the other hand, you can use your English-language documents (no translation and notarisation needed).
Besides the lady might be that little extra happy being wedded to you in Fragrant Harbour...
This year should not be difficult as fewer couples take the vows due to their belief that the year of the rooster is inauspicious.

Voldermort · Joined: 14 Apr 2004 Posts: 597

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Obtaining the letter of non impediment from the British Embassy is no problem. The main question I cannot find an answer to is 'do you need a Z visa'? All the information I can find simply states that you must be a resident in China for a minimum 21 days before application. This is a little vague.

We do not want to leave China in order to get married, it is not fair to her family and friends. If we are going to do this we are going to do it the right way.

Volodiya · Posted: Wed May 11, 2005 6:24 am Post subject:

Voldermort, it seems to me there are two different issues, here- whether you are a resident here, and whether you have proof of your residency here. For proof, a Z visa won't do it. You need either the Resident Permit (green book), which was the norm until this year; or, a Resident Permit for Foreigners stamp, which is placed in your passport.

If someone is processing these for you now, and that's why you don't have one or the other, you may have to wait for this to come through. (I'm not saying, definitively, that there is no other way to prove your residency here, but mere presence in the country is not enough.)

Good luck with your plans.