China Romance
All About China => Visas, Immigration and Emigration => Topic started by: ssetho on July 09, 2009, 10:53:19 pm
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I am from London and I will be marrying my girlfriend in China in a couple of months time. Can anyone please let me know whether I will need to get the Certificate of No Impediment from the local registrar (which will take 30 days to get) or I just need the Self Declaration letter notarised by a Notary Public? I have asked the China Embassy and they suggested that I check with the local marriage registrar in China. Any help will be greatly appeciated.
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I have read the homepages of the Chinese Embassy in Denmark and of the Danish Embassy in Beijing. It said to bring Certificate of no Impediment. It has to be legalized, in my case by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then it needs to be stamped by the Chinese Embassy. It has to be translated into Chinese too. But I will have to do that in China, as I am not able to get it translated here before I have to send the visa application. I would not go without it. But try to see if the UK Embassy in China has stated anything about marriage in China on there homepage.
Congrats on the engagment!
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Thanks a lot Hajo for the info. I will check out the UK Embassy's website in China.
I have read the homepages of the Chinese Embassy in Denmark and of the Danish Embassy in Beijing. It said to bring Certificate of no Impediment. It has to be legalized, in my case by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then it needs to be stamped by the Chinese Embassy. It has to be translated into Chinese too. But I will have to do that in China, as I am not able to get it translated here before I have to send the visa application. I would not go without it. But try to see if the UK Embassy in China has stated anything about marriage in China on there homepage.
Congrats on the engagment!
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I am from London and I will be marrying my girlfriend in China in a couple of months time. Can anyone please let me know whether I will need to get the Certificate of No Impediment from the local registrar (which will take 30 days to get) or I just need the Self Declaration letter notarised by a Notary Public? I have asked the China Embassy and they suggested that I check with the local marriage registrar in China. Any help will be greatly appeciated.
You willneed to get both of these. The one from your local registrars office takes 21 days and costs £30 and on day 22 you can collect it. In the meantime take your statutory declaration of no impediment to marraige to a Notary - noty a commissioner of Oaths but a notary whop will charge you abot £50 for the pleasure. Then talke them to the Forign Office at Milton Keynes for legalisation which will be done while you waith then go to the Chinese embassy with the documents for their stamps - will cost a coupleof hundred quid in the end.
Willy
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Does it have to be translated to Chinese first?, i imagine a registry office in China doesn't accept English documents notarised or not?
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Does it have to be translated to Chinese first?, i imagine a registry office in China doesn't accept English documents notarised or not?
I had mine notarised and also an offical seal put on by the Chinese consulate in Calgary. But when I went to Meizhou to register our marriage, they needed an offical notarised translation of the single status/notice of no impediment document. I made sure and asked the person at the consulate in Calgary if I needed the document translated into Chinese. He said 'No' and that I was good to go, but once in China, arguing with the governemt offical didn't help. Once they have their mind made - they are not going to change. My advice - get the translation before you go and save the hassle.
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Sorry guy's I think I'm getting confused here...
Is the single certificate...(the one that say's your divorced) to be noterised by a lawyer?... YES
And then translated into Mandarin?
Are these 2 documents:
Notice of no impediment' document
Single certificate
If so, does both have to be noterised and translated? :huh::blush:
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Sorry guy's I think I'm getting confused here...
Is the single certificate...(the one that say's your divorced) to be noterised by a lawyer?... YES
And then translated into Mandarin?
Are these 2 documents:
Notice of no impediment' document
Single certificate
If so, does both have to be noterised and translated? :huh::blush:
Sorry Rob for the confusion. I brought both documents - the notarized affidavit of single status and my authenticated/notarized divorce certificate. Both of these in turn, in China, needed to be translated into Chinese and the translation needed to be notarized. We had a lawyer that did both for us in Meizhou and she charged us I believe 1550 RMB. I hope this helps.
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Thanks for all the help guys, really appreciated. I noticed people are getting confused with these 2 documents.
1. Self Declaration letter notarised by a Notary Public.
2. Certificate of No Impediment from the local registrar which takes 22 days to get in the UK / Known as Single Status Certificate in China
Both the above documents are different. According to Willy, I will need to get both documents legalised by the Foriegn Office at Milton Keynes and then to the Chinese embassy with the documents for their stamps. Like Willy said, it is going to cost me around £200 for the whole process. I believed I will need to get both documents translated into Chinese. I will follow Ronald's advice and get them done in China. Hope this help.
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I will follow Ronald's advice and get them done in China. Hope this help.
Martin took Chong's advice and found a person in Canada that did the translation and notarizing for him before he left on his trip. I believe that its best to be prepared before leaving on your trip - just like a good boy scout.
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Thanks Rhonald.
I will follow Ronald's advice and get them done in China. Hope this help.
Martin took Chong's advice and found a person in Canada that did the translation and notarizing for him before he left on his trip. I believe that its best to be prepared before leaving on your trip - just like a good boy scout.
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Are there two official forms that are needed or just one?
Damn, i'm a bit confused here too!
The Irish government wont recognise the marriage until i get a form of there's filled in and they will give me a Certificats de Coutume (http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/home/index.aspx?id=274)
But i 'm wondering to i also need to get some other forms filed in for the Chinese government too ?
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You will need both, the Self Declaration Letter notarised by a notary public and the Certifcate of No Impediment from your local registrar. I think besides the Divorce Absolute if you have one, that is it.
Are there two official forms that are needed or just one?
Damn, i'm a bit confused here too!
The Irish government wont recognise the marriage until i get a form of there's filled in and they will give me a Certificats de Coutume (http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/home/index.aspx?id=274)
But i 'm wondering to i also need to get some other forms filed in for the Chinese government too ?
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Sorry Rob for the confusion. I brought both documents - the notarized affidavit of single status and my authenticated/notarized divorce certificate. Both of these in turn, in China, needed to be translated into Chinese and the translation needed to be notarized. We had a lawyer that did both for us in Meizhou and she charged us I believe 1550 RMB. I hope this helps.
Rhonald, since you're Canadian you're the guy for me to ask, did either of these documents take long to get? My divorce is just being finalized now.
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Rhonald, since you're Canadian you're the guy for me to ask, did either of these documents take long to get? My divorce is just being finalized now.
http://calgary.china-consulate.org/eng/lsfw/gzrz/t225620.htm
http://calgary.china-consulate.org/eng/lsfw/gzrz/t225619.htm
Neil, once I recieved my divorce certificate, I took this with a filled out Affidavit of Single Stauts to a lawyer. I signed the Single Status document in front of him and he notarized it. (oh make sure your divorce certificate can be used for international purposes). I then sent the Affidavit and my divorce certificate to Edmonton for certification. The lawyer explained to me that Canada did not sign an international agreement about notarization. So any document notarized by a Canadian lawyer for international purposes, needs to be certified by the proper goverment authority.
What really happens is that the provincial authority compares the lawyers signature and seal used in the notarization with their copy on file. If it matches, then they certify the document. The certification is a fancy legal size paper that covers the original document. They have a candle wax seal (just like days of old) with a ribbon that ties the two papers together. The certification just states that the lawyer is registered with the Government and the signature matches.
For the Chinese consulate I filled out the requested form and submited a photocopy of my passport with the original and photocopy of the certified Affidavit of Single Status. Payed the fee, waited 4 days and picked up the documents. The consulate placed an embossed holographic seal on the back of the Single status document.
All told, it took about 10 days to meet the lawyer, send the documents rush to Edmonton, and submit the documents to the chinesse consulate. I will look for my documents and scan them and upload a picture here for you.
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Good timing Rhonald, I just got a call from my lawyer, I see her in an hour. I'll be dealing with the Vancouver consulate though since I'm in BC but everything else should be the same. Fingers crossed I can time this right. 32 days til I leave.
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Hi guy's just this minute back from the local regisra in my home town...
To get a certificate of no impediment, you will need:
Your Birth Certificate,
Your Passport,
Your Decree Absolute,
Proof of your Address
Date of Wedding
Time of Wedding
(if you do not have the 'time', he can go no further in 'his' documentation until you have it, he showed me the procedure)
Place of Wedding, (Province, town/city, address of office)
And a fee of £30.00 in my county
Also:huh:
From your lady you will need:
Her name in English,
If divorced, what her married name was,
her Home Address
Her Occupation
That is me now on my way of sorting these items out. Today I got my Statutory document translated in Mandarin, my next step is to get the Certificate of no impediment legalised by the registra, then getting 'it' translated..
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Wow Rob, they make you dance the Scottish jig more there then for us here in Canada. Best of luck with all that red tape.:huh:
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Thanks Rhonald, now here's the thing, if that's the info they need for that document?, With the amount of immigrants that come to Britain, what info do they need to get???:s:huh:
He he already have most of the info I needed, but wrote a letter to Keren last night, asking for the details etc, bet when she reads it, she will be like WTF? hehehe
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Hi guy's just this minute back from the local regisra in my home town...
To get a certificate of no impediment, you will need:
Your Birth Certificate,
Your Passport,
Your Decree Absolute,
Proof of your Address
Date of Wedding
Time of Wedding
(if you do not have the 'time', he can go no further in 'his' documentation until you have it, he showed me the procedure)
Place of Wedding, (Province, town/city, address of office)
And a fee of £30.00 in my county
Also:huh:
From your lady you will need:
Her name in English,
If divorced, what her married name was,
her Home Address
Her Occupation
That is me now on my way of sorting these items out. Today I got my Statutory document translated in Mandarin, my next step is to get the Certificate of no impediment legalised by the registra, then getting 'it' translated..
Hi Rob - I have a certificate of no impediment you can have - you will only have to scrub out the name of the woman that I am no longer marrying.
When I went to the registrars I only took my passport -proof of my address ie water bill, I Had no dewtails of when the marriage wouldbe other than it would be in Zhuhai China. He then took the £30 and three weeks later I collected the certificate (Wonder if I can get a refund on this one)
No iea why your registrar needs a date of marriage - there is no place on the certificate he gave me for that information.
The rest of your info is what I supplied
Willy
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I can only think that it has recently been brought in...:huh:
And thanks or the offer mate...
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I spoke to Keren and asked her for the info mentioned above, She is adament that I dont need that certificate in Qingdao, she checked with the agency bosses, but the rest of you guy's better check your own ladies area's..
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I spoke to my girlfriend in Wuhan as well and she said, I don't need this certificate as well. She said I only need the Self declaration single letter. Now, I am totally confused!
I spoke to Keren and asked her for the info mentioned above, She is adament that I dont need that certificate in Qingdao, she checked with the agency bosses, but the rest of you guy's better check your own ladies area's..
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Hi Guys
The rules I got here from the Chinese Embassy say that they only want a " Single Certificate". This document first, in English comes from your local Registrar of Hatches, Matches and Despatches " :):) (Births, Marriages and Deaths.)
This document needs Certifying by the Foreign Affairs Dept of your Government.
After this process, it needs to go to the Chinese Embassy for their Certification and Authentication which gets permanently attached to the Original Document.
I am assured by them that this process is the definitive requirement of any Chinese Marriage to a Foreigner
Cheers....David
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I just got married in Wuhan. Yes, the Single Status Certificate is definitely required. Check out http://www.mychinalove.net/marrying_in_china_1.php
Hi Guys
The rules I got here from the Chinese Embassy say that they only want a " Single Certificate". This document first, in English comes from your local Registrar of Hatches, Matches and Despatches " :):) (Births, Marriages and Deaths.)
This document needs Certifying by the Foreign Affairs Dept of your Government.
After this process, it needs to go to the Chinese Embassy for their Certification and Authentication which gets permanently attached to the Original Document.
I am assured by them that this process is the definitive requirement of any Chinese Marriage to a Foreigner
Cheers....David
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Congrats Ssetho. Pictures, we need pictures. I was also married in Wuhan. If you did not know where the office was, you would never find it. But the girl there was very helpful. Especially since my single cert wasnt translated to Chinese like it was supposed to be.
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Here is the advice from the Australian embassy in Shanghai:
The Consulate-General is unable to confirm requirements for marrying in China which vary considerably between provincial marriage offices. You should first contact the marriage bureau in the city where you intend to marry to confirm their requirements.
And here is the advice from me:
God only knows what is actually is required. It amazes me that anyone at all manages to get married in this crazy place.
I have had the Wuhan Marraige Registry ask me to go back to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in Victoria (where I live) and ask them to provide the information needed for the Certificate of Single Status in the same format and wording that is provided by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in New South Wales (another Australian state). If anyone has had any dealings with bureaucrats anywhere, they don't change the format of certificates for anyone. So for the past couple of months we are deadlocked between the Marriage Registry in Wuhan and the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages here in Melbourne. No-one is going to budge.
I am going to offer to get a Certificate of No Impediment from the Australian Embassy in Shanghai, when I'm passing through on my way to Wuhan, and see if that can settle the thing.
If I can't work it out soon, I might just engage a lawyer there in Wuhan and try to get them to try to find a way through. I sure as hell can't.
I try not think about how sweet it would be to cut myself free from this god awful mess.
Hi Guys
The rules I got here from the Chinese Embassy say that they only want a " Single Certificate". This document first, in English comes from your local Registrar of Hatches, Matches and Despatches " :):) (Births, Marriages and Deaths.)
This document needs Certifying by the Foreign Affairs Dept of your Government.
After this process, it needs to go to the Chinese Embassy for their Certification and Authentication which gets permanently attached to the Original Document.
I am assured by them that this process is the definitive requirement of any Chinese Marriage to a Foreigner
Cheers....David
I'll tell my woman about this when she visits the Wuhan Marriage Registry next time (for about the twentieth time). It will give her something to laugh about as she spends the afternoon in the queue . . .
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What David E has said is correct , Danny and it can be stamped at the R E C office in Toorak Rd , do not know when you are heading over , but the papers are only valid for a limited time , so I guess you cannot get married 5 times in the month ha ha , regards Ying and Robert .
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What David E has said is correct , Danny and it can be stamped at the R E C office in Toorak Rd , do not know when you are heading over , but the papers are only valid for a limited time , so I guess you cannot get married 5 times in the month ha ha , regards Ying and Robert .
I have had them authorised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and also by the Chinese Embassy in Toorak Road. My documents were gratefully accepted by the Wuhan Registry of Marriage. But they want something else: a certificate of single status, which in Victoria is called something else, a Certificate of No Record (of marriage). Eventually it will be sorted out, I am sure. It such complete and utter nonsense. All the information they are asking for is in the Certificate of No Record. But the fact that it does not have the heading, "Certificate of Single Status" means for them it is insufficient.
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Danny , depending on your timing , maybe an official letter from the hatch,match and dispatch dept stating that they are the one and the same / translated into Chinese and then certified by Toorak rd might be the answer or send an email to Shanghai alert them to the hassle and include phone numbers of an official in Wuhan in a follow up email if required , good luck , Ying and Robert .
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Danny , depending on your timing , maybe an official letter from the hatch,match and dispatch dept stating that they are the one and the same / translated into Chinese and then certified by Toorak rd might be the answer or send an email to Shanghai alert them to the hassle and include phone numbers of an official in Wuhan in a follow up email if required , good luck , Ying and Robert .
Yes, that's a good suggestion. One of the things we're doing next is to try to ask one of the managers of the Victorian registry to write to the Wuhan marriage registry to confirm that the documents are one and the same thing. Thanks for the suggestion. I'm just venting at the moment and not thinking at all straight . . . *laughs*
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Danny
The Australian Registrars of Hatches, Matches and Despatches in every State issue the "Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage:...valid for 6 months from the date of aquisition.
This document is certified by the Foreign Affairs Dept in each Stae to comply with Chinese requirements.
These two docs. are then taken to your local Chinese Embassy/Consulate who translate them into the correct Chinese version of "Single Certificate" and attach it to the other two.
I have done this and it works !!
DavidE
ps...but I never used it though :):):):)
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Dave E has the right idea, when they translate it have them put the heading "Single Certificate"
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I have done this and it works !!
DavidE
ps...but I never used it though :):):):)
Thanks for the suggestion. I think I will go ahead and obtain a Certificate of No Impediment, just to be safe. They said it wasn't necessary. But sometimes a handful of almost satisfactory documents adds up to one completely satisfactory one - I am a bureaucrat myself, I know how they think.
Do you think there is any connection between preparing these documents and the fact you never used it? I have a feeling that by the time I have got the effing thing done all I will want to do with it is set it alight *laughs*
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I am not sure whether or not it is a resolved or anything, but today my woman was convinced it had all been worked in what I think is perfectly Chinese fashion.
You will recall that the marriage registry office were not happy with any of the certificates that had been prepared by the Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths or Marriages.
So the compromise we have all agreed on was for us to draw up a suitable "certificate" and for me to sign it. Mind you it is just a piece of paper, with no official status whatsoever. I have signed it, scanned it and sent it to to my dear woman, to include with all the other papers I have sent to the registry for translation and lodging.
For good measure I sent them the same text as on their certificate in an Australian statutory declaration form, witnessed by a police officer, with an official looking stamp at the bottom of the declaration.
It's a delightful solution because no-one has lost face. The marriage registry office have the certificate they insisted on. I have permission to marry my dear woman. The Victorian registry did not have to issue an irregular certificate. No-one had to back down and we're all happy. What a perfect solution! *laughs*
Who is to know how it really got worked out. It could have been the wedding sweets my future father-in-law was handing out a the registry office. It could have been the possibility of having a fuss with the Chinese embassy here in Melbourne. They might have just got sick of my dear woman and her old father coming day after day and asking them to reconsider. Who is to know?
Mind you, it is not really over until I am married, and they might change their minds or anything, but it was just delightful. Anyone who knows even a little about the place will know what I am talking about *laughs*
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Danny , well done , where there is a will , there is a way , regards Ying and Robert .
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Ok, I have read this thread and still not sure what I read. I had the bright idea to get all these documents ready, so if things progessed well with my lady in Handan, I would be all ready. (Plan on a trip in March) But if I read correctly, the certificate of No Impediment is only valid for certain amount of time. (By the way I live in the USA). I have finally found my Decree of Dissoulution of Marriage. But the only thing I have is a photocopy of the document signed by the judge and dated. No notory or certification stamp. Do i have to contact the original state and county this took place in, and have them send me another certified copy? Then, do I take this to an office in my current county and get the certificate of No Impediment?
Or do I go to an embassy to do this? which there is none close by. Nearest would be DC, I guess.
I know some of you have gotten married within hours or days of arriving in China. Some the first time you actually met your lady. So you must have been prepared. So can anyone from the States (or elsewhere for that matter) clear this up for me.
Now don't get the wrong impression. I am not one to jump into things. I just figure it can't hurt to be prepared.
Birth certificate...I have
Passport....I have
Visa.....I have (expires in April, but thats renewable)
Decree of Dissolution of Marriage...(copy, not notorized)...I have
So what else do I need and where do I go to get it? :huh:
Thanks for reading my rambling.
Don
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Don,
what you will need is to take your divorce papers to a notary and get it
notarized that you are divorced.
then it goes to the state for you single certificate
when that comes back take it to china with you
get it translated here for about 80 rmb i did mine were we
recieved the red books
and yes it is only good for 6 weeks so if you dont plan on
marrying the first trip then wait to do until you will marry
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You sure it is not valid for six months? Everything I bought with me in June expired in December. As it is Chinese rules and not US or UK rules I imagine the validation period is six months.
Willy
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Don, you had me thinking so I pulled out my divorce papers. It should have some sort of stamp on it (last page). I have only a copy also? I think that's all they give you? the org. stays on record (their files). I won't be doing all this for a few months so I'll check it later but just so you know. I think the single status is only good for a short time? If I remember right?
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yes vince from the usa it is only good for 6 weeks when you recieve it
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Here's the US Affidavit of Marital Status. Lets see if I can upload it in a PDF format? (use Adobe Reader)
[attachment=1262]
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Vince,
thats the one you need to get notarized in the states
and from that day it is good for 6 or 8 weeks i forget
but when i did mine they asked me if i was going to marry
in that time frame. sorry i dont remember if it was 6 or 8
weeks getting to old the memory is going hahahahaa
but everything else still is here and working ah to be young
and know what i know now
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Ok, I have read this thread and still not sure what I read. I had the bright idea to get all these documents ready, so if things progessed well with my lady in Handan, I would be all ready. . . . Do i have to contact the original state and county this took place in, and have them send me another certified copy? Then, do I take this to an office in my current county and get the certificate of No Impediment? Or do I go to an embassy to do this? So what else do I need and where do I go to get it? :huh:
Thanks for reading my rambling.
Don
Don, different marriage registry offices in China have different requirements. The safest thing to do is to send copies of your documents to your woman and take them to the marriage registry office and check whether there is anything else you need. This kind of thing is best done by your woman. I have found things work a lot better in China when it is done on a person to person basis.
Most documents will need to be notarised by both one of your government offices (in Australia it is the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) and by the Chinese emabassy. You can send these documents to the embassy through the mail and this might save you a trip.
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Thanks, everyone. At least it is clearer than before. The first thing i need to do is find out if the copy of my divorce decree is good enough since it does not have a seal stamp of any kind on it. If not, guess i will call the previous county I lived in many moons ago and have them send me one. Sounds like I should hold off, though, getting the marital status certificate. Until I am sure "its the real thing"! Hopefully will have an idea the first part of March. Can't wait. Really looking forward to the trip.
Thanks again
Don
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i just used my copy and had it notarized
and sent to the chinese embassy