But he might not be able to marry another person legally if he doesn’t get the divorce even in another country. Do it correct now instead of major problems later. And don’t get married to crazy women without protection.
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So, seriously, why is this a problem ? Why not just forget about her and live your life ? I can’t really see how this is something you should get worked up about, it’s a piece of paper
I get that, but it sounds to me like she/the courts here won’t have any power over him if he leaves Taiwan, and I doubt she would bother to chase him over to America. Maybe he could even find a way around it there.
But if he’s legally married in another country, any marriages he enter into would be void and possibly a criminal offense. And judging by his current wife just disappearing, i can’t count on her not coming back and doing something crazy.
If she does chase him down to America I think that would be ideal, actually. He would be playing with a home field advantage, so to speak.
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I wouldn’t count on that. She doesn’t seem rational.
I would handle it now instead of having this come back years later and being a huge problem.
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Even if she reappeared, how would she find her? America is pretty big, and especially in South America, assuming she doesn’t speak Spanish or Portuguese, she will have some serious trouble making a fuzz about it with the authorities
I wouldn’t, either. But he’s really backed into a corner at this point. If it were me, I’d just get the hell out of dodge.
This can’t be the first time someone has been spitefully trapped into marriage by a foreign spouse. Does the American legal system have a way to deal with something like this?
She would likely have detail information on him, birthdays, passport numbers, etc. It probably wouldn’t be that difficult if he isn’t hiding and living a normal life. He is American, I don’t think he will be living in south america. Not that kind of american.
I have a safe full of important pieces of paper. Don’t take shortcuts with this. Get a legal divorce, don’t just blow this off like Steven Seagal did with his first wife. Your future self will thank you.
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Yes the U.S. legal system will allow the OP to get divorced from an uncooperative spouse. Details may vary by state, but if OP wants to live in the U.S. he should talk to an attorney in his state of residence about “alternative service of process” via email or Facebook or publication, then likely judgment by default. This would lead to a final, real divorce in the U.S.
Now, what happens if he returns to Taiwan with a U.S. court’s divorce order, then ex wife claims they are still married and takes him to court in Taiwan? Taiwan should respect the legal divorce that was conducted according to the rules of a foreign country. But I don’t know Taiwan law, and I can’t predict what a specific Taiwan court would do.
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I will never confess to that! 
That’s not inconceivable, but it’s also perfectly normal for the wheels of justice to turn slowly. 
Don’t let a bad marriage do you in. Hang in there, man! 
It’s easier than ever to find people these days. And who wants to live like a fugitive? Imagine, a straight man living in the closet – why?
I strongly agree with Andrew (shocking as that is).
I’m really hoping for this. It seems the courts in America are more reasonable than Taiwan. If a wife refuses to return to the marriage for a number of years and the husband can prove that he has genuinely tried repetitively to call her back and make contact, the husband should be granted an option for divorce. It’s extremely unfair to me to force me to stay in this marriage when I can’t even see my wife. The only thing that does is prevents me from ever having a normal life and being able to remarry.
Well I just think; in general; if I was charging a service that went by hour, it would be in my best interest to extend the amount of time it took. Unethical of course but very likely. Any way around this? I’ve had this situation for 4 years already…don’t want to make it 5. I’ve heard of lawyers that charge flat rates. Does anyone know of lawyers like that in Taiwan?
Thanks for the encouragement. I would give anything to have my life back. I’m tired of paying for the mistakes I made 10 years ago.
Actually she doesn’t have my passport number at least. She broke into my apartment shortly after we seperated and stole my passport. I assume it was a foolish (not to mention extremely illegal) attempt to keep me in Taiwan. Actually I really don’t know what she was thinking but I simply applied for a new passport shortly after at the AIT which has a new number. And you are correct; I am from the United States not South America.
It really feels like that. I also find it very hard to believe that I am the first person this has happened to and a little shocked Taiwan’s law hasn’t been updated to protect people from something like this. If anyone finds a case like mine and how it got solved, please let me know. Or better yet, the contact of the lawyer who solved that particular case.
The worst part is; I actually have (limited) contact with her family via email. They always reply in a way that puts the fault back on me in the eyes of Taiwan judges while keeping me in this situation. My lawyer saw their emails and told me he felt they have a lawyer helping them compose them. What kind of person would help someone to do this? At this point, I don’t even think they want money as much as to see me suffer. I sent them an email clearly asking them (in Mandarin even) to either meet and talk so we can work on trying to fix the marriage and come to an agreement or please meet to divorce. They simply replied back asking me which one I wanted then said if I truly valued the marriage, why did I tell her to leave…This puts the fault back on me and if I answered divorce, they could make it look like I pushed her out for a divorce. I of course showed my lawyer and followed his recommendations in a reply saying that I was open to both but I feel the marriage as many problems and it’s probably best to divorce. I also asked them to not use the past as a reason to continue to neglect the marriage for years. Of course no reply back and this was weeks ago. I’m at a loss. Worst part is I attach a tracker to emails and I know they read it.
I imagine they’ve likely spun the story to make you look like the villain/someone deserving of being punished. Easy to do when you don’t have both sides.
You’re probably right. Still, he/she would have to be sick in order to agree to doing something like this. One has to wonder why she doesn’t seem to care that she is stuck in a marriage as well and why they don’t worry I will just give up and take off. I’ve been very fair and patient to them. Asking them to meet and talk in a safe public place is not unreasonable at all. To be honest, I don’t technically know if my spouse is even still alive (although I don’t think she’s dead but I can still use this according to my lawyer). This could all be her families doing because it’s all they can do without being able to find her themselves. They have never answered me if they know where she is or not. Considering during the 5 years of our time together, she was always hiding from her family, I would think she might be still doing that. My lawyer says best case scenario is we summon her to court and if she is a no show, I will get the divorce. Problem is my lawyer is taking a while and currently working on getting a court order to request my household registration because apparently, I have no right to request my own household registration by myself? Anyone know if that is true or not?
I think you have the misfortune of dealing with some singularly unreasonable people. It might help your mindset going into this if you just accept that at face value and stop wondering how and why they could be this way.
Wish I could help you more on the legal end of things. I’m sure other posters will have some information for you. All the best.
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why wouldn’t you just directly ask for a divorce? you seem to have a pretty legit reason for it. the family are always going to side with their kid, especially as it seems they didn’t have much contact with her and wouldn’t know what was going on. very easy to see u as the bad guy here. i don’t know why you wouldn’t just be clear and direct that you want a divorce.
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Gamer addressed this a bit earlier:
This puts the fault back on me and if I answered divorce, they could make it look like I pushed her out for a divorce.
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This is originally what I thought too and normally back in the USA, one would do exactly this. However, in Taiwan, this would put me at fault in the judges eyes and hurt my chances in winning the case. Apparently the fact that she refuses to ever come home and all the effort I put into getting her back doesn’t matter, just the fact that I told her to leave when I was mad at her 4 years ago is all that counts. It’s idiotic and puts me in a terrible situation.
Thank you. That actually helps and I think you’re right. Hopefully someone can fill me in about the household registration.
Hmmm. A marriage doomed from the start? Eight plus years of hell? You haven’t had contact with her for over 4 years? And you’re worried about spending NT$8,000 on a consultation with a lawyer?
I think any judge would dismiss the fact that you had an argument 4+ years ago and told her to move out. People fight, and either they at least try to make up, or they move on. You don’t have to remain married till death do you part anymore.
Was there some demand from the in-laws that you pay for the long-ago wedding/pay a certain amount for “ruining her life”, or pay alimony for this woman who has never worked?
In another thread, I mentioned, to Davesbrother, that couples in Taiwan have to file taxes jointly each year. Have you done this?