It is fairly common for foreigners visiting or living in China to marry locals. Foreign men marrying Chinese women is more common than the reverse, but both occur. Some caution is of course necessary, as for anyone contemplating marriage. Beware of people who just want a visa or a rich husband; these are common. That said, most people are just looking for Mr. or Ms. Right, and many people do form happy cross-cultural pairs.

Marriage customs, like almost everything else in China, are changing. In traditional Chinese society, marriages were arranged by families and matchmakers. Later, in early Communist China, marriages were arranged mainly by Party officials and one could not marry without permission from one's workgroup (roughly the Chinese equivalent of a Soviet). Today there is considerable movement toward free choice, and considerable movement toward women's rights. However, there are still matchmakers and both family and Party may still have considerable influence, at least in some cases.

Procedure in general

China is no Las Vegas! Getting married in China can be time consuming and expensive. There are numerous bureaucratic hurdles to leap before a marriage certificate will be granted. The obstacles may seem daunting, but if you follow the rules and have a little patience you and your partner will be able to tie the knot in China with minimum hassle.

While the process of getting your paperwork together can differ from nationality to nationality, there are two important documents any foreigner will need to get in order to get married in China: a '''certificate of marriageability''' and a '''certificate of marriage.''' Conceivably, both of these certificates could be obtained in a day or two, but in practice it often takes much longer and often requires some travel; see below for details. If getting married in mainland China is too time consuming and cumbersome for you then consider the option of getting married in Hong Kong or Macau; see below for more on that as well.

Note that the Chinese government regulates the age at which Chinese can get married. In general, women can_ft marry until they're twenty and men must wait until they are twenty-two. Despite this, there are persistent reports of girls in their early teens being married off by their families in some rural areas. Until a few years ago, universities would expel undergraduates who got married, but this policy has changed. Two foreigners are allowed to marry in China, but the paperwork may be overwhelming and the Hong Kong option might be more suitable.

'''Same sex marriages''' are forbidden in China.

Certificate of Marriageability

The first thing that any foreigner needs to wed a Chinese national in China is a '''certificate of marriageability.''' The certificate is proof that the applicant is not currently married, a fact reflected in the Chinese '''danshenzhengming''' (?_g?__), which literally means _gsingle certificate._h A certificate of marriageability is obtained from '''your''' government, usually from an embassy or consulate, and then presented to the Chinese government upon application for a marriage certificate. One thing to bear in mind when getting a certificate of marriageability is that you must present a copy '''translated into Chinese''' to the Chinese government when applying for your marriage certificate. Some countries, such as the United States, provide a bilingual English/Chinese certificate, but if your embassy/consulate does not then you must obtain a notarized translation from a Chinese government office.

In general, if you are applying for a certificate of marriageability in China it is important to remember to bring the following items when applying at your embassy/consulate:

  • your '''passport'''.
  • '''notarized proof''' that any previous marriage has been terminated. Put more simply, you must obtain from the local or national government in your home country '''officially notarized copies''' of official documents stating that you are divorced. It is not uncommon for foreigners in China to have to fly back home to get their divorce paperwork sorted out!!! To save yourself this hassle make sure that you have the correct paperwork before you come to China, or have it sent to you in China.
  • your partner_fs '''national ID card''', or '''shenfenzheng''' (_g??).
  • your partner_fs '''huk?u''' (?__), or '''residency permit''', which every Chinese citizen has. It may come as a shock to many foreigners that officially Chinese need permission from the government to relocate within China. An individual_fs hukou is proof that they have permission from the government to live in a certain area of the country. Millions of Chinese migrate from their home districts to others areas of the country, but their hukous remain in their home district in the possession of family, the local police, the last school attended or the last place of employment. This is a problem because the hukou must be presented to the embassy or consulate in order to receive a certificate of marriageability. Therefore, if you're applying for a certificate of marriageability outside of your Chinese partners home district, then their hukou must be sent to your current location, which will take at least a couple of days.
  • your partner does not need to present their passport, but if available it may help to bring it to speed up the process.
  • Marriage Certificate

    After a certificate of marriageability has been obtained you must go to the city or town that your Chinese partner_fs hukou is registered at, and apply for a '''marriage certificate''' _i?__? jiehunzheng. If this is outside of the city of the embassy/consulate that issued your certificate of marriageability then this means you will have to do some traveling. In your partner_fs hometown you must go to the local government office that registers marriages, which in a small town would be the '''minzhengju''' (______) and in a larger city the '''minzhengting''' (____?). In the past both partners had to undertake a medical examination before a certificate of marriage was issued, but this is no longer necessary in most areas. Remember that, typically, marriage registration offices are only open Monday to Friday during certain hours, and are closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays. At the marriage registration office you and your partner will be asked to present the certificate of marriageability and three formal photos of the two of you together, to answer a few simple questions and required to fill out some forms. The final act is for each partner to read a form and swear under oath. One marriage certificate will then be issued to each partner in the form of a red booklet with the couple_fs picture inside. The entire process should only take about an hour and the cost is quite cheap, only a few dozen renminbi or less. It is customary to wear informal dress when applying; even jeans and a t-shirt will do. Don_ft worry, your new Chinese husband or wife will certainly insist on having an expensive and elaborate wedding on a later date.

    Getting Married in Hong Kong or Macau

    The Hong Kong option for marriage is most suited for two foreigners, especially those who don_ft have all their divorce papers on hand. The process is more expensive than in mainland China, but is quicker and easier, with most couples getting married on the spot. For those wishing to marry a Chinese mainlander the Hong Kong option will probably not be any more convenient and will almost certainly be more expensive.

    Macau might be a nice place to get married. There are a lot of beautiful old buildings for the photographs, and some utterly stunning Catholic churches if you want that sort of wedding.

    Taking the Chinese partner home

    Getting married does not automatically get the Chinese partner a visa for the foreign partner's home country. Bogus marriages for visa purposes are common enough that the embassy or consulate may be somewhat suspicious or may give you a bit of a hard time.

  • you may need to bring '''photos''' of you and your partner together.
  • for some nationalities, such as Americans, it may also be necessary for your foreign spouse or fiancee to appear in person and be '''interviewed''' by embassy/consulate officials. During the interview your partner must show '''proof of a relationship''', which usually means presenting several photos of you and your partner together on separate occasions, correspondence between both of you, and any other documents evidencing a stable relationship. Your partner should be able to answer basic questions about you, including if you have any children from prior marriages.