Planning on getting married in Hong Kong or legally registering your wedding? Read on for our step-by-step guide to be officially recognised as the ‘Missus” with the Hong Kong government.
Step 1: BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT TO GIVE NOTICE OF INTENDED MARRIAGE
Give yourselves a 15-day (excluding Sundays) to 3-month window to obtain your Certificate of Registrar of Marriage. The easiest way to book your appointment with the Registrar of Marriages is online. Here, you’ll be able to select a preferred appointment location and discover what documents and personal particulars are required in the Information Required for Marriage Registration (Form MR21B). Speed up your processing time at the appointment by submitting your deets directly online to the Immigration Department at least one day before your appointment with the Registrar. If you’re not a web hack, you can also book your appointment to give your Notice of Intended Marriage the old school way, and dial 3102 3883 (open 24 hours). Either the bride or groom must be in attendance at the appointment to give Notice of Intended Marriage.
Step 2: VERIFY YOUR DOCUMENTS
Now that you’ve booked your appointment and have Form MR21B sorted, it’s time to head to your selected Registrar of Marriages office. After verification of all documents and a $305 filing fee, The Registrar will issue a Certificate of Registrar of Marriages. This wedding licence stipulates that your nuptials must be executed within three months, and becomes void upon expiry.
Step 3: SOLEMNISE YOUR MARRIAGE
Hurrah! It’s time to line up your DJ for Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration”. To make your wedding official, you’ll need a civil celebrant of marriages to seal the deal. Marriages can be validated by a minister at a licensed place of worship, at the Registrar itself, or by a competent civil celebrant of marriages. If you opt to celebrate your wedding at the Registrar, check the available capacity for marriage ceremony here. Fees for marriage at the Office of the Registrar are $715 for weddings during office hours, and $1935 for Saturday afternoons and Sundays.
Step 4: AFTER THE SOLEMNISATION
Congratulations! According to the Hong Kong Marriage Ordinance, you are legally married. You owe it to yourselves to take a short honeymoon break as a newly married couple.
Did you know?
- Marriage registries are closed when typhoon signal 8 or above is hoisted, or in the event of a Black Rainstorm Warning. Attend the Registrar within two-hours after the cancellation of these signals, or if this time is outside of office hours, attend the Registrar at the same appointment time during the following day.
- The minimum age for getting married Hong Kong is 16, however, minors are considered between the ages of 16 and 21, so marriages for this age group must have the full consent of parents or legal guardians.
- You have five Marriage Registries to choose from: City Hall, Cotton Tree Drive, Tsim Sha Tsui, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun.
- Under the Hong Kong Marriage Ordinance, transsexuals who have undergone a full sex reassignment surgery (SRS) have the legal right to wed.
- There are no residential requirements for either party, nor are there any nationality restrictions.
For more on getting married in Hong Kong, check out our weddings-filled October issue of Expat Living Hong Kong, available at these HK stockists.
