I am from the UK, my wife is from Taiwan. We were married 9 years ago in Tainan city. We now live semi-separately in China - we share the raising of our daughter, and we work together, so we see a lot of each other, but there’s no marriage so to speak.
My wife has agreed to a divorce, but refuses to go back to Taiwan to do it.
She has said she will sign whatever papers I give to her. I’m not sure what her exact reasons for not wanting to go to back. Last time she went back she got detained at the airport t because of unpaid taxes; maybe this is the reason (although as far as I know that issue was all cleaned up). Maybe she doesn’t want to face her family in Taiwan because of the divorce. Possibly she just wants to make my life more difficult.
Whatever the reason, I really want to somehow get this divorce ruling as soon as possible.
A good friend of mine in Taiwan has picked up and sent me the blue “Request for Divorce” paper.
Another friend who recently successfully divorced in Taiwan told me the procedure that he took: Get two Taiwan ID holders to sign the forms, and then he and his wife signed the forms in the presence of the notary at the city courthouse. The various parties needed to provide ID copies and household reports (please let me know anything I have missed here.)
What I want to know is there any way I can get the divorce ruling without my wife going to Taiwan? For example, could I enlist the services of attorney in Taiwan and pay for him/her to come to China to witness her signature?
[Note: I have also spoken to several lawyers in China, and also to a lawyer in the UK. The consensus is that getting the divorce ruling in Taiwan should by far the easiest way.]