Whats next after marriage in China?

[Randy & Nana 1]

My Chinese fiance and I will visit the US Embassy in Beijing to register for marriage in China. As soon as we marry in her home town, what does my sweetheart need to prepare while I begin the I-130 petition? I will follow the step-by-step visa process, but we are not sure what my fiance should be preparing. Please help!!

I appreciate your help!!

Randy & Nana

[Ryan H 3,828]

My Chinese fiance and I will visit the US Embassy in Beijing to register for marriage in China. As soon as we marry in her home town, what does my sweetheart need to prepare while I begin the I-130 petition? I will follow the step-by-step visa process, but we are not sure what my fiance should be preparing. Please help!!

I appreciate your help!!

Randy & Nana

You don't register for marriage in China at the US Embassy. You will do that at a local civil affairs bureau in a Chinese city or town.

This is quoted directly from the Embassy:

Marriages in China are registered according to the laws of China. American diplomatic and consular officers do not have the authority to perform marriages and are not required to witness the marriages of American citizens that take place overseas. Under the U.S. Constitution, the administration of civil affairs is one of the powers reserved for states. Thus, as federal government employees, American consular officers are prohibited from usurping this state role.

Marriages in China are administered by the marriage registration office of the local civil affairs bureau, (民政局Min Zheng Ju) in each jurisdiction. Persons planning to marry should visit or call one of these offices for specific information. The appropriate civil affairs office will be the one in the jurisdiction in which the Chinese citizen is registered (the location of their 户口hukou).

This page contains more information from the Embassy and it's where I took the quote.

After you receive your marriage certificates from the bureau, you will want to have them translated by the Notary Office in her hometown. A Chinese marriage certificate is not a piece of paper, it's a little passport type book. You obviously will not want to send the little book with your I-130 so you will need the Notary Office translation.

Edited April 17, 2011 by Ryan H

[Randy & Nana 1]

You don't register for marriage in China at the US Embassy. You will do that at a local civil affairs bureau in a Chinese city or town.

This is quoted directly from the Embassy:

This page contains more information from the Embassy and it's where I took the quote.

After you receive your marriage certificates from the bureau, you will want to have them translated by the Notary Office in her hometown. A Chinese marriage certificate is not a piece of paper, it's a little passport type book. You obviously will not want to send the little book with your I-130 so you will need the Notary Office translation.

Thank you for the quick response Ryan! So our little red book (in Chinese) will become a little "white book" after translation? Also, will our little books show I was divorced before?

[Ryan H 3,828]

Thank you for the quick response Ryan! So our little red book (in Chinese) will become a little "white book" after translation? Also, will our little books show I was divorced before?

You will still have the red book, but yes, the Notary Office will produce the white book. Little is not a word I would use to describe a white book.

As for your question about whether or not the book will show that you were previously divorced. I don't think they do. Others can probably say something more definitive.

One more thing, congratulations to you and your fiancee! Best wishes going forward!

[Randy & Nana 1]

You will still have the red book, but yes, the Notary Office will produce the white book. Little is not a word I would use to describe a white book.

As for your question about whether or not the book will show that you were previously divorced. I don't think they do. Others can probably say something more definitive.

One more thing, congratulations to you and your fiancee! Best wishes going forward!

Thanks again for the information! We are soooo excited. Congrats to you and your wife! I'll bet your wedding was wonderful being around Chinese New Year. Take care.

[pushbrk 13,094]

You will still have the red book, but yes, the Notary Office will produce the white book. Little is not a word I would use to describe a white book.

As for your question about whether or not the book will show that you were previously divorced. I don't think they do. Others can probably say something more definitive.

One more thing, congratulations to you and your fiancee! Best wishes going forward!

No, the Notarial booklet will not indicate either was previously divorced. If she was previously divorced, she'll need a Notarial translation of divorce decree too. She might as well get her Notarial birth certificate while she's at it. She'll need a signed G325a form as well and a 2X2 passport photo.

[Palladin 18]

My Chinese fiance and I will visit the US Embassy in Beijing to register for marriage in China. As soon as we marry in her home town, what does my sweetheart need to prepare while I begin the I-130 petition? I will follow the step-by-step visa process, but we are not sure what my fiance should be preparing. Please help!!

I appreciate your help!!

Randy & Nana

You will register your marriage in the Chinese Civil Affairs Office (Min Zheng Ju). Not just any Civil Affairs Office, it has to be the provicial one for marriage to a foreigner, city level civil affairs office will not take you.

But you still need to pay a visit to the US Embassy or Consulate, to get your Marriability Affidavit. If you were divorced, bring alone your original divorce court paper. Then the next step is get the document translated into Chinese by a paid translation service which is officially recognized. Your fiancee will prepare her own documents

Once you get your little red marriage certificate, spend a minute going over it to make sure everything is OK.

[pushbrk 13,094]

You will register your marriage in the Chinese Civil Affairs Office (Min Zheng Ju). Not just any Civil Affairs Office, it has to be the provicial one for marriage to a foreigner, city level civil affairs office will not take you.

But you still need to pay a visit to the US Embassy or Consulate, to get your Marriability Affidavit. If you were divorced, bring alone your original divorce court paper. Then the next step is get the document translated into Chinese by a paid translation service which is officially recognized. Your fiancee will prepare her own documents

Once you get your little red marriage certificate, spend a minute going over it to make sure everything is OK.

Going to a US Consulate in China is one of three ways to obtain the necessary "single papers" for marriage in China. For some, a trip to a Consulate is far out of the way. The alternative is to use the services of visarite.com http://visarite.com/index.htm Call them though and tell them you need the Affidavit of Single Status for China and they'll walk you through what you need to send them so they can obtain it for you. They can also handle your China visa if you don't already have it.

Toll Free: (800) 361-7708

Direct: (201) 445-7088

The third way is described on the Chinese Consulate's website and is the really hard way.

[Darnell 8,479]

That visit to Beijing, US Embassy, will be for the affadavit of single status, only.

THEN - once you have that, take it to the marriage office where you two will get married, and show it to them, ASK if it needs to be translated into CHINESE. Usually it does, so ask them WHICH OFFICE they will accept a translation from, then go to that office, and get the translation from english into Chinese, then get married. Figure 1 to 2 days for marriage office/translation office work, be certain to pay for any expedite.

After you are married, you will need to submit with the I-130

--photocopy of the chinese to english notarial Wedding Certificate translation book (known as a white book)

--photocopy of all of the USC's divorce documents (photocopy showing the stamp or seal)

--photocopy of her bio page of her passport

then at NVC - you'll need -

--white book on birth certificate

--white book on police clearance

--white book of the wedding certificate

--white book of HER divorce documents, if she's been divorced.

and if yer using EP, all can be scans, so keep that in mind, ah? not need to send off documents via postal mail or ems, just scan them at a copy shop in China, email them to YOU.

The police certificate has a duration/validity to it , don't get it done until you've got the NOA-2 document.

there's more to this, but that's about it for 'documents in china'

Edited April 19, 2011 by Darnell

[Randy & Nana 1]

That visit to Beijing, US Embassy, will be for the affadavit of single status, only.

THEN - once you have that, take it to the marriage office where you two will get married, and show it to them, ASK if it needs to be translated into CHINESE. Usually it does, so ask them WHICH OFFICE they will accept a translation from, then go to that office, and get the translation from english into Chinese, then get married. Figure 1 to 2 days for marriage office/translation office work, be certain to pay for any expedite.

After you are married, you will need to submit with the I-130

--photocopy of the chinese to english notarial Wedding Certificate translation book (known as a white book)

--photocopy of all of the USC's divorce documents (photocopy showing the stamp or seal)

--photocopy of her bio page of her passport

then at NVC - you'll need -

--white book on birth certificate

--white book on police clearance

--white book of the wedding certificate

--white book of HER divorce documents, if she's been divorced.

and if yer using EP, all can be scans, so keep that in mind, ah? not need to send off documents via postal mail or ems, just scan them at a copy shop in China, email them to YOU.

The police certificate has a duration/validity to it , don't get it done until you've got the NOA-2 document.

there's more to this, but that's about it for 'documents in china'

Thanks for the support all! Will I bring my Chinese fiance into the US Embassy Beijing during my "Marriageability Affidavit" proof appointment?

[My_Wife_and_I 1]

Thanks for the support all! Will I bring my Chinese fiance into the US Embassy Beijing during my "Marriageability Affidavit" proof appointment?

We went to the US Embassy in Beijing for this and they would not let my fiance come in with me. She waited outside for me.

Edited April 20, 2011 by My_Wife_and_I

[Randy & Nana 1]

We went to the US Embassy in Beijing for this and they would not let my fiance come in with me. She waited outside for me.

Thanks! What exactly did the US embassy beijing need when you visited them for the marriageability affidavit? I am meeting with them this morning and making sure I have extra copies of everything just in case.

[My_Wife_and_I 1]

In my case, I needed my passport and my previous wife's death certificate. They just want you to account for any previous marriages. After that, I filled out a very short form, took an oath in front of the person behind the window, then they gave me my certificate of marriageability. We took the certificate without translation to the marriage registration office for foreigners in Shengyan and they accepted it without translation. We did have one problem though. On the marriageability form I filled out at the embassy, it asked for my fiance's city of residence. Since she lived in Beijing, that is what I wrote. But, BIG but, they really wanted the city of her Hokou. None told me this!!! This caused my fiance to have to travel back to Beijing and get her residency certificate. Delayed our marriage registration by two days. Don't make this mistake!

[Darnell 8,479]

Thanks for the support all! Will I bring my Chinese fiance into the US Embassy Beijing during my "Marriageability Affidavit" proof appointment?

It sorta depends on which gate you go through. There are two, and I'm geographically challenged {north/south/east/west)

If yer at a gate with lots of PRC ppl in a queue, and yer at the exit of the Silk Road mega store, that's the wrong one.

She can accompany you when coming in the other gate, unless things have changed.

[Randy & Nana 1]

We did it! We were married April 22, received red books then went to nearest public notary for white books. Thanks again for your help.

Now the visa process... I'm a little scared of the process and have many questions