Got married in Hong Kong recently. Superb place and highly recommended for any wedding couples. Any nationalities can marry in Hong Kong, but in our case the Bridegroom = British, & Bride = Taiwanese.
First a few potential FAQ’s, followed by a step by step guide on how to get married in The Kong. My info is all a bit jumbled ~ but you’ll get the idea…
Why get married in HK?
Because it’s a memorable place to tie the knot, Brits don’t need a Certificate of No Impediment (which you do in Taiwan) and because there is no confusion as to whether a HK marriage is recognized in the eyes of the UK government (something of debate when a Brit gets married in Taiwan).
[u]How soon could I get married in HK? [/u]
If you started the paperwork today you feasibly be married (if very organized) 3 to 4 weeks later - providing they have a marriage ceremony slot available for you.
[u]How long will I be in HK?[/u]
There is paperwork to complete before you get to HK, but in terms of time in HK itself: you have to appear at the HK Immigration Office 2 days (minimum) before your date of marriage. After your wedding ceremony you will have to go to the Taiwan Representative Office to authenticate your marriage certificate. You get it back one work day later. The quickest trip in and out of HK would be 4 working days (including flights). For example:
Monday: Morning = Fly to HK. Afternoon = Appear at the HK Immigration Office (located in Central HK).
Tuesday: Free Day.
Wednesday: Morning = Marriage ceremony. Afternoon = Take your marriage certificate to be authenticated at the Taiwan Representative Office (get there before 2pm). You get it back the next working day.
Thursday: Morning = Free. Afternoon = Collect your authenticated marriage certificate from the Taiwan Rep Office (between 4pm – 5pm). Fly home later that evening.
Note: Check there are no National holidays while you are in HK. If there are you will need to account for the lost working day.
The best day to get married
At the time of writing, a weekday marriage costs HK$715 (NT$2,982) and a weekend marriage costs HK$1,935 (NT$8,072)
If you get married on a Wednesday or Thursday you shouldn’t need to stay in Hong Kong over the weekend (this factors in the time needed at the Taiwan Rep Office after the wedding).
A weekday trip makes for a cheaper stay as hotels are typically more expensive at weekends.
Choosing the date of marriage
They will tell you your timeframe after they have received and processed your application to be married. Your options of marriage date will be 15 days after they have processed you application and within 3 months. Within that timeframe you can request 3 preferences or marriage date and time.
When choosing a date, remember that some dates are considered lucky or unlucky. The luckiest dates will likely be fully booked a few months ahead of time.
Choosing the time of Marriage
If you get a morning marriage ceremony you will have enough time to get over to the Taiwan Representative Office to start the authentication of your marriage certificate the same day. This is important if you are on a tight timeline.
Choosing the location of marriage
You have a several choices within HK: immd.gov.hk/ehtml/address_6.htm We were advised to go with ‘Cotton Tree Drive’ and we had no regrets. It’s very central within HK and is said to be the nicest setting. It’s within Hong Kong gardens and it’s great for a few photos and post marriage pint (or two). The marriage registry building itself was low key – but the surroundings more than made up for it. It’s also only a 10 minute walk to the Taiwan Rep Office.
What happens at the marriage ceremony?
On your wedding day you need to arrive at least 15 minutes before your ceremony. You and your 2 witnesses need to complete some simple paperwork (‘I am who I say I am and here is my passport’ type of stuff) and pay the wedding fee (see above). You can have as many people attend the ceremony as you like – but you must have 2 witnesses.
You are called into a room and a clerk tells you that is going to happen.
The official walks into the room and gives a 2 minute speech about the laws governing marriage.
You exchange rings (optional).
Each of you then reads a statement/oath from a card. You can choose English or Mandarin Chinese. Each of you can choose your preferred language (they don’t have to be the same).
They then announce you are married.
The official leaves the room and returns 1 min later with 2 copies of the marriage certificate. You and your witnesses sign both copies. The certificate (x2) is written in both English and Chinese (bilingual). You get to keep one copy and the registry keeps the other.
The whole ‘ceremony’ takes no longer than 10 minutes. At no point in the ceremony were we asked to say anything other than the oath and there was no mention of any vows. I guess you could ask in advance if you have any special requests.
How much does the HK trip cost?
Costs are approximate (exchange rate at the time of writing, Oct 2009)
- Notarization of form in Taiwan: NT$400
- TPE – HKK Return and four nights in a 4 star and fairly centrally located hotel (HK Island) = NT$13,000 (each). Prices vary depending on booking ahead, days of travel and whether the hotels are busy with HK trade shows.
- iPermit for HK (Taiwan citizen only) NT$800
- HK Marriage Immigration Office fee: HK$305 (NT$1,272)
- HK Marriage Registry Fee: Weekday HK$715 (NT$2,982) or Weekend HK$1,935 (NT$8,072)
- Wedding Rings: Optional. We used an excellent Taipei based jeweler if want to send me a PM. Good English and makes all rings to order (with certificates, etc). Solid prices and a very well trusted person within the Chinese and Expat community.
- HK Shopping: Whatever you can afford.
- HK meals & General Fun: HK is expensive in comparison to Taiwan. But then you ARE in Hong Kong. Perhaps x2 or 3 the cost of living in Taiwan if you are living the ‘soup noodle’ life and x4 or 5 if you are living the ‘lobster & champagne’ life.
Step by step guide for getting married in HK.
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Shoot an e-mail to Hong Kong Immigration Office asking for information on getting married in HK immd.gov.hk/ehtml/mr.htm
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Their instructions are clear but incomplete….so follow this advice:
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Complete the form: ‘Notice of Intended Marriage’. Take it to your nearest local Notary Public in Taiwan. You need to sign the form in the presence the Notary.
Note: You are not asking the Notary to notarize the information on the form is accurate. You are only asking them to witness your signature/s. The Notary will stamp the form with a Notary seal. The cost of notarization varies from office to office, but we paid NT$400.
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Complete the form: ’Marriage Registration and Records Office – Information required for Registration of marriage in Hong Kong ’. They didn’t send me this form to me the first time round and I got an e-mail asking why I didn’t complete it. You can download it at the above link or ask them for it.
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Make copies of your passports (identity page only).
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Go to your local Taiwan bank and get a cheque written out for HK$305, made payable to ‘The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’.
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Make sure you have 2 witnesses that can join you on your wedding day. They must be over 18 years old and have their passport or HK identity card (if they reside in HK) with them on the wedding day.
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Write a cover letter with your telephone number, e-mail address, preferred marriage location, preferred marriage date/s and time.
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Make copies of everything for your personal record. Then send the above by registered mail to:
Births & Deaths General Register Office/Marriage Registration & Records Office,
3/F, Low Block,
Queensway Government Office
66 Queensway
Hong Kong
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They will send you an e-mail confirmation when they receive it. Then, two or so weeks later they will send you a congratulatory e-mail with your confirmed location, date and time of marriage. Reply with a confirmation.
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Book your flight and hotel. Package deals are the cheapest.
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Taiwan citizens need an ‘iPermit’ visa for Hong Kong. Your travel agent can arrange this for you (copy of passport and NT$800 or thereabouts). Brits don’t need a visa for Hong Kong.
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Arrive in Hong Kong and appear at the HK immigration Office 2 (or more) days before your marriage cermony. The office closes at 16.45pm. Your witnesses do not need attend. Take your passports, iPermit (if Taiwanese) and a copies any correspondence you’ve had with the HK Immigration Office. One of you (you choose) will be asked to raise your hand and read an affidavit from a card. It states you know of no reason why you can’t be married. They then give you an offical letter stating you are cleared and ready for marriage. Take this letter with you when you go to your marriage cermony.
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Attend your marriage ceremony! Take your letter (see above), passports, wedding fee (HK cash is fine) and make sure your 2 witnesses have their passports or HK ID with them. You will get your marriage certificate at the ceremony.
Note: Everyone told me the problem with HK marriages is that you can’t get a replacement marriage certificate if you lose the original. In fact, you can. You can request an additional/official copy of your marriage certificate at any time. It takes 9 working days and costs HKK$260 if you order it in your wedding day (should you want to order a second copy). It costs more if they have to run a search after your wedding date.
- After getting married, head over to the Taiwan Representative Office with your marriage certificate and passports. It’s located 10 mins walk from Cotton Tree Registry. You need to get there before 2pm if you want everything back the following day.
Chung Hwa Travel Agency,
40F, Tower One,
Lippo Centre,
89 Queensway.
Hong Kong
Before going in to the Taiwan Rep Office, you need to stop by the ‘Copy Center’ in the basement of the Lippo Center. From memory, make 2 x copy of:
a. Your ‘hot off the press’ wedding certificate
b. Your passports (identity page only)
c. Your iPermit (if Taiwanese)
d. The passport page showing the immigration stamp you received when you landed in HK (unless Taiwanese)
At the Taiwan Rep Office you will complete the authentication forms. You will need to decide on your Chinese name if you don’t have one already. You don’t need a chop as they ask for the written version. Providing you submit the authentication paperwork before 2pm you can then collect it the following afternoon. I recall the authentication costing somewhere around HK$250
Note – They should ask you, but be sure to tell them to authenticate the photocopy of your marriage certificate. This is fine for use in Taiwan. If not, they may authenticate (stamp) your original marriage certificate.
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Return to the Taiwan Rep Office the following day (between 4 – 5pm) to collect your authenticated photocopy of your marriage certificate. Your Hong Kong marriage paperwork is now complete.
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Back in Taiwan, you need to register your marriage within 1 month. This may require a visit to the MOFA (not always necessary apparently) but certainly a visit to the county office where your wife/husband is registered. After that, you can apply for a Taiwan marriage visa. This process is a whole new thread and has been well documented elsewhere on Forumosa.
I hope this helps 
Full credit to Taffy who guided us through the HK marriage process. Many thanks Taffy.
Finally, Mr.& Mrs. BlackAdder wish you all the best!
I just want to add one thing: If you want to make photocopies you can do them in the trade office. There’s no need to go to the copy shop in the basement.