Certificate of marriagability

[Justjake 23]

I will be flying into Hong Kong next year.  I'm getting married to my fiancee in Shenzhen.  

Should I try to get an appointment at the Hong Kong US consulate on the day I arrive or do it another day in Guangzhou?

I need the certificate to get married, and I will be bringing a copy of my divorce decree with me for them to notarize as well.

Is there anything else I should be aware of regardless of which location I go to?

[SalishSea 16,770]

32 minutes ago, Justjake said:

I will be flying into Hong Kong next year.  I'm getting married to my fiancee in Shenzhen.  

Should I try to get an appointment at the Hong Kong US consulate on the day I arrive or do it another day in Guangzhou?

I need the certificate to get married, and I will be bringing a copy of my divorce decree with me for them to notarize as well.

Is there anything else I should be aware of regardless of which location I go to?

Why would you need to go to the US consulate to get married there?

[Justjake 23]

1 minute ago, Jorgedig said:

Why would you need to go to the US consulate to get married there?

I need to provide a certificate of marriagability to show that I am single right?  

[SalishSea 16,770]

Just now, Justjake said:

I need to provide a certificate of marriagability to show that I am single right?  

Is that the rule for marrying in Hong Kong or something?  There really is no such document that any US consulate can provide for you.  

[Justjake 23]

5 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

Is that the rule for marrying in Hong Kong or something?  There really is no such document that any US consulate can provide for you.  

I won't be marrying in Hong Kong, but in mainland China.

• A valid passport with a valid Chinese visa
• An “affidavit of marriageability.” You can get this document  at the Embassy or Consulate by swearing or affirming before a Consul that you are legally free to marry. You must make an appointment for a notarial service to get this affidavit and there is a $50 charge. If either party was previously married, bring a clear photocopy of either the divorce or annulment decree or the death certificate which shows how the marriage ended. If you present an original certified copy with the copy for their review, the Chinese authorities will usually accept the copy.  Hold on to your original documents, since they will be required when you file an immigrant visa petition for your spouse. Note: In order to complete your affidavit of marriageability correctly, you are highly recommended to bring a photocopy of your Chinese fiancé’s ID card (Shen Fen Zheng 身份证) or if your fiancé is not a Chinese citizen, and is another foreign national in China, please bring a photocopy of his/her passport.
• Three photos of the couple, taken together
• Registration fee

[SalishSea 16,770]

Just now, Justjake said:

I won't be marrying in Hong Kong, but in mainland China.

• A valid passport with a valid Chinese visa
• An “affidavit of marriageability.” You can get this document  at the Embassy or Consulate by swearing or affirming before a Consul that you are legally free to marry. You must make an appointment for a notarial service to get this affidavit and there is a $50 charge. If either party was previously married, bring a clear photocopy of either the divorce or annulment decree or the death certificate which shows how the marriage ended. If you present an original certified copy with the copy for their review, the Chinese authorities will usually accept the copy.  Hold on to your original documents, since they will be required when you file an immigrant visa petition for your spouse. Note: In order to complete your affidavit of marriageability correctly, you are highly recommended to bring a photocopy of your Chinese fiancé’s ID card (Shen Fen Zheng 身份证) or if your fiancé is not a Chinese citizen, and is another foreign national in China, please bring a photocopy of his/her passport.
• Three photos of the couple, taken together
• Registration fee

Is that from the US embassy/consulate's website?

[Justjake 23]

4 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

Is that from the US embassy/consulate's website?

Yes.  https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/life-china-living-working-marriage/

[SalishSea 16,770]

Just now, Justjake said:

Yes.  https://china.usembassy-china.org.cn/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/life-china-living-working-marriage/

Ah, okay.  Seems odd, since there is no way for them to actually verify that you are or are not married.

[EandH0904 1,184]

2 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

Is that the rule for marrying in Hong Kong or something?  There really is no such document that any US consulate can provide for you.  

This is pretty common in most countries.  I had to get the paper the original...I had to get 2. An Affidavit of Nationality and Eligibility to Marry ($50 each). 

 

I know your question is more on location not timing but remember you could go the next day....you may be jet lagged, plane may be late, just a number of things could be off. 

[Justjake 23]

1 hour ago, EandH0904 said:

This is pretty common in most countries.  I had to get the paper the original...I had to get 2. An Affidavit of Nationality and Eligibility to Marry ($50 each). 

 

I know your question is more on location not timing but remember you could go the next day....you may be jet lagged, plane may be late, just a number of things could be off. 

Thanks for the advice. I looked at their schedule for appointments and it doesn't seem to be crowded for appointments. 

[NAT2016 18]

You need to order a certified vital record of your divorce certificate from your state.  The U.S. consulate won't do notary service for your divorce certificate, they just take your sworn affidavit statement. 

[Justjake 23]

2 hours ago, NAT2016 said:

You need to order a certified vital record of your divorce certificate from your state.  The U.S. consulate won't do notary service for your divorce certificate, they just take your sworn affidavit statement. 

Thanks Nat, 

From what I understand, there is no "divorce certificate" unlike a "marriage certificate". I was advised that my final divorce judgement would qualify as proof of divorce. 

[NAT2016 18]

22 minutes ago, Justjake said:

Thanks Nat, 

From what I understand, there is no "divorce certificate" unlike a "marriage certificate". I was advised that my final divorce judgement would qualify as proof of divorce. 

I guess each state is different.  Ours has certificate of divorce judgement.  Good luck.  Make sure to take lots of pictures of wedding ceremony and with her family, relative, friends, and her. 

[SalishSea 16,770]

1 hour ago, Justjake said:

Thanks Nat, 

From what I understand, there is no "divorce certificate" unlike a "marriage certificate". I was advised that my final divorce judgement would qualify as proof of divorce. 

My state (Washington) does have divorce certificates, which are basic, single page documents.  To be safe, a certified copy of the divorce decree should be used, as it contains a wet signature from a county clerk or judge.

[RandyW 149]

From someone's post above

Quote

You can get this document  at the Embassy or Consulate by swearing or affirming before a Consul that you are legally free to marry.

 

China requires certification (known as "single certification") that the intending parties are free to marry. For Chinese citizens, this entails certification from the public records that they ARE indeed single.

 

For foreigners, the intending spouse's government must certify that they are single. Under U.S. law, if you "swear or affirm" that you are legally free to marry, by golly - you ARE.

That's literally all that's involved here. You may wish to bring your divorce papers in case you are asked for them.

 

A sample AFFIDAVIT OF SINGLE STATUS may be found at http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/hzqz/fhjh/t84256.htm

Edited November 14, 2018 by RandyW