China - Getting Married with Foreigner

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Procedure

After entering into China, you should together with your fiancee/fiance, submit in person your marriage application to the marriage registration office of the local government above county level where the Chinese fiancee / fiance resides and, have your medical examination by a designated hospital. Marriage can be registered only after the application is ratified, and Marriage Certificate is issued upon registration

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Required Documents

• Your non-spouse certificate which indicate your name, sex, date and place of birth, nationality, personal identification document number, marital status (never married or divorced or widowed) and the name of your fiancee/fiance. The divorced or widowed shall have divorce certificate or death certificate of ex-spouse.
  

The above-mentioned documents are invalid unless they are first notarized by a local notary public/lawyer and then legalized by the local provincial authority (valid for 3 months since the date of legalization) and finally authenticated by the Chinese Embassy or the Chinese Consulates-General (valid for 6 months since the date of authentication).

• Certificate of your employment or reliable income.
• Valid visa

Office Locations & Contacts

Beijing Fangyuan Notary Public Office BeijingInn,
Chaowai Dajie 206, Jixiangli
http://www.bnpo.gov.cn
subwaystation: Chaoyangmen

People's Republic of China Ministry of Civil Affairs
Address: 147 Main Street,
Dongcheng District, No. Beiheyan

Eligibility

• The man should be more than 22 years' old and the woman more than 20 years' old.
• The marriage is the will of both parties, and each party is single.
• The couple must not be blood relatives within three generations.
• Both must not carry diseases deemed inconducive to marriage.
• One party of the couple must hold regular residence certificate of Shanghai.

Fees

Chinese citizens and foreigners who apply for marriage registration shall pay for the cost of marriage certificates and also pay registration service charge. The expenses for interpretation service shall be borne by the applicants.

Validity

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to Use

Marriage registration form

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

Both parties should appear in person when registering for the marriage and receiving the marriage licenses.

Required Information

• Your name
• Sex
• Date and place of birth
• Nationality
• Personal identification document number
• Marital status (never married or divorced or widowed)
• The name of your fiance/fianc

Need for the Document

This is handled by municipal Civil Affairs Bureau. Normally, you will have to go to the office in the jurisdiction in which the Chinese partner is registered on her or his hukou though there are a few reports that couples have been able to marry in an office local to where the Chinese partner is living.

Information which might help

The marriage registration office needs a form from the foreign partner's home government stating he/she is not already married in his/her home country.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

http://english.gov.cn/2005-08/29/content_27367.htm
http://english.gov.cn/services.htm

Others

According to current Chinese law, a foreigner cannot marry a Chinese citizen who falls within one of the following categories:

• military personnel in active service, diplomatic personnel, public security personnel, confidentiality personnel, or any person who possesses important and confidential information;
• persons who are at present receiving reeducation through labor or serving a sentence.