Document Requirements...Marriage in China

[David E]

For general information....I think maybe for Aussies in particular, I have been wading through the minefield of Consulates and Marriage Registrars to determine exactly what documents I need to make sure my planned Marriage in Chengdu can take place.

Contrary to what has been posted here in the past, below is the list of Documents that I MUST, repeat MUST have to enable the marriage to go ahead:

1) A Certificate issued by my Local Registrar of Births and Deaths certifying that my status is single...ie A Certificate of Search.

2) The endorsement of this document by Apostille from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Perth, attesting that this Document is genuine.

3) The certification by my Local Chinese Embassy, written in Chinese and bearing the Official certification of the Chinese Embassy, that this Document is genuine.

4) I MUST get a Statutory Declaration of my single status FROM THE AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY IN GUANGZHOU.

Document number 4 came completely as a surprise and therefore we must go to Guangzhou to get it before our marriage can take place, !!!!!!!


As the Embassy in Guangzhou only processes these types of documents from 2 to 4 pm Mon to Fri, and as they wont issue it on the same day (you have to go back next day to collect it) we have the complete rave of going to all this trouble and expense for a bit of paper....such is life !!!

For general information for any Aussies going down this track

David

[RobertBfrom aust]

David E , hows about this being shifted to under , For Aussies Marrying in China under the main marriage details , regards Robert .

[David E]

Yep...that's where it belongs 

I have a small additional piece of info to add to the post:

Document 4 (the Statutory Declaration of Single Status) from an Australian Embassy in China, can be obtained from 3 different Embassies.:

Beijing
Shanghai
Guangzhou

Obviously, you would go to the nearest one to your intended place of marriage. In  my case, Guangzhou is the easiest.

I am advised that SOME (and I cant find our exactly which) Local Chinese Authorities only require Documents 1) , 2) and 3)...so you would be advised to check with the Local Marriage Registrar in the Town of your pending Marriage to determine if they actually need Document 4).

Chengdu Local Registrar advised me that they DO need this document.

And of course, you will need your passport too !!!

David

[Arnold]

David , I moved your first Post to the new Australia Requirement's for you . Please post everything you have on this subject there . Thank you .

[Hajo]

Hi,

Here in Denmark, I sent my single certification papers to the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The stamped it with the right stamps and then I sent it to the Chinese Embassy in Denmark. The Chinese embassy confirmed that the authentication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. That saved me for a trip to Beijing from Urumchi (about 4000 km).

We got married two days after I arrived in China. All papers were accepted. Maybe your ministry of foreign affairs can help you too.

Cheers,
Hajo 

[David E]

Hajo

The process you describe is exactly what is needed for "some" Local Chinese Registrars before they will certify a foreign marriage. As I discovered, some of the Local Registrars require the 4th document which must be obtained from an Australian Embassy IN China. As I said, not all Local registrars require this document number 4, but Chengdu (the home of my fiance) DOES require it. Obviously the Registrar in Urumchi does not require this document.

In most Chinese Towns, this document is not needed...but in some Towns it is.

Aussies wishing to marry in China should carefully check if their Local Registrar requires the Chinese Certification BEFORE they front up to get married.

What I am saying, in summary, is that there is no completely consistent set of paperwork required by all Chinese Marriage Registrars, there is some variation in what individual Towns require.It is necessary to carefully check the situation in the Town of the intended marriage.

David

[David5o]

David E,

It's not just the Aussie's, it affects all nationalities. Some of these marriage registrars hand you back the stuff they don't want or need, and this is often the the self declared statement of single status.... So after running round like a blue arse fly getting stamps and translations and official this and that's authenticating  the bloody document, they pass it back to you...hahaha!!!

 
David.....