FAQ on marriage
1. Q: I am a registered resident of Shenzhen. Where should I register for marriage? Where should I register for marriage with a foreigner?
A: Shenzhen has 10 Marriage Registries of the Civil Affairs Bureau in districts (new area) under its jurisdiction. To apply for marriage registration, you should bring your valid household register, ID card, and a photograph to the Marriage Registry of the Civil Affairs Bureau of the district (or new area) where your registered residence is located. Registration of a marriage involving a foreigner (Registration for marriage of a resident with Shenzhen hukou and a foreigner, overseas Chinese or a resident of Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan) is also handled at the Marriage Registry of the Civil Affairs Bureau in each district (or new area).
2. Q: Is marriage or divorce registration handled immediately? How long will it take?
A: Marriage or divorce registration is handled immediately at the marriage registry office, the process taking about half an hour.
3. Q: I am a resident with Shenzhen hukou and my fiancé is a German citizen. I need a certificate of absence of marriage record for marriage registration in Germany. Can the civil affairs bureau issue the certificate?
A: You can apply for such issuance with the Marriage Registry of the Civil Affairs Bureau of the district where your registered residence is located. According to the Notice by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Further Standardizing the Marriage Registration Record Certification (No. 266 [2015] Letter of the Ministry of Civil Affairs), the certificate of (absence of) marriage record shall be issued for notarization in China’s Taiwan region, Kazakhstan, Finland, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, and Poland only, and other such applications will not be accepted.
4. Q: Can I apply for divorce registration at the Marriage Registry of the Civil Affairs Bureau even if the marriage certificate has been lost?
A: The marriage registration authority may handle divorce registration, provided the parties concerned provide a written explanation for the loss of the original marriage certificate, which shall be filed by the marriage registration authority.
5. Q: Who are the collateral relatives within three generations?
A: Collateral relatives within three generations mean that the parties concerned are offspring of the same grandparents, such as siblings, cousins, aunts and nephews, and uncles and nieces.
6. Q: What is the legal age for marriage registration in China?
A: The minimum age is 22 for men and 20 for women.
7. Q: My boyfriend is from Spain. He is under the age of 22. Can he register for marriage in China?
A: No. According to Article 5 of the Regulations on Marriage Registration, a foreigner applying for marriage registration must present the following documents and certification materials: (1) his/her valid passport or other valid international travel documents; (2) a certificate of no current spouse issued by a notarization institution or a competent authority in the country of which he/she is a citizen, and certified by the embassy (consulate) of the People's Republic of China in the said country, or issued by the embassy (consulate) of the said country in China. In addition, according to the Marriage Law, the minimum age of marriage is 22 for men and 20 for women. Therefore, your foreign boyfriend must present the foregoing materials and meet the age requirements for marriage registration in China.
8. Q: My marriage certificate obtained in a Chinese embassy abroad contains the passport number only and does not contain the ID card number. Will the certificate be valid when I am back to China?
A: According to Article 19 of the Regulations on Marriage Registration, embassies (consulates) of the People's Republic of China abroad can register marriage for Chinese citizens who both reside in the said country. Therefore, your marriage certificate issued by the Chinese embassy abroad by law is legal and valid in China.
9. Q: I registered for marriage involving a foreigner with the Shenzhen Civil Affairs Bureau in 1990. Where can I check and obtain a copy of the original registration file?
A: The marriage registration files involving foreigners handled at Shenzhen Civil Affairs Bureau before 1995 have been handed over to Shenzhen Archives Center (Add: 23 Linfeng Road, (Shangmeilin) Futian District, Tel: (86-755) 88127712) to which all queries should be directed. The marriage registration files involving foreigners from 1996 to 2004 and the divorce registration files before 2004 are still kept in Shenzhen Civil Affairs Bureau. If necessary, you can make an inquiry at the Social Affairs Office of Shenzhen Civil Affairs Bureau (appointment Tel: (86-755) 2582730, Add.: Room 1605A, Tower A, Zhongmin Times Plaza, 12 Sungang Road, Shenzhen).
10. Q: We are both foreigners working or living in Shenzhen. Can we register for marriage in Shenzhen? What supporting documents should we submit?
A: Yes. Both of you should submit the relevant single status certificate issued by your country (see the Regulations on Marriage Registration for details) and a certificate of recognition of the validity of residents' marriage registration abroad issued by your country.
(Note: The text above is a translation of the Chinese version for reference only. In case of any discrepancy between the two versions, the original published Chinese version shall prevail.)
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