DOCUMENTS FOR GETTING MARRIED IN HONG KONG FOR PINAYS AND FOREIGNERS

This post is originally posted on my other blog. 

Are you getting married in Hong Kong with your foreign boyfriend (or maybe girlfriend)? If you are contemplating on getting married in Hong Kong with the love of your life, then it is expected, as with anything, anywhere, that you will have to get on the paper work. Good thing, it is much easier to process your papers to get married in Hong Kong than in the Philippines (only speaking from my paperwork experience).

So, to be able to get married in Hong Kong, the first step is to write an inquiry (through an email) at enquiry@immd.gov.hk. This is how you will secure your first document for submission, The Notice.  (see what I have written to the IMMD, here). 

1. The Notice of Intended Marriage or “the notice” sent by the IMMD in Hong Kong will have several pages with English and Chinese texts. If you are both single (never been married), then accomplish the FIRST THREE PAGES ONLY. Do not forget to have the PAGE 1 notarized. (See how the notice looks like, here) It should be noted that if you are a Filipina, you must have your middle name (your mom’s maiden name) written in the box provided for Surname and Name on Page 1. (I made a mistake of not including my middle name the first time I sent the notice, so IMMD sent me a message requiring me (or whoever is the party giving the notice) to have the first page amended to include my middle name (as it appears in my passport), have it notarized, and send it back (yep, it costs some money, too). It is only then that your application to get married in Hong Kong will be considered and the process for doing so resumes.
2. The international birth certificates (yours and that of your fiancé/fiancee) should also be sent to the IMMD office in Hong Kong. It is better to send a colored photocopy of each of your birth certificates. International birth certificates means, the document should be in ENGLISH.
3. A photocopy of your passports must also be sent together with requirements 1 and 2. Send only the photocopy of the information page, not the whole passport.
4. A photocopy of the Pinay’s CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) from PSA should also accompany the first three documents. This costs around P 170.00 pesos if requested directly from your local NSA office. If you will request for this in the mall, expect a P20.00 service fee for each copy and a week of turn-around time.
5. Bank Draft payable in Hong Kong Dollars or US dollars. Please be mindful that when the bank draft isn’t payable in Hong Kong dollars, you will have to shoulder the HK100-dollar handling fee. In our case, since we cannot find a bank that issues bank drafts in HK dollars, we opted for US dollars.Kindly inquire about the exact amount you will have to pay for this from IMMD. You can ask a bank draft from Maybank with a US 7.00-dollar service fee.

After you have completed all the documents, send your express mail (takes 7 days maximum from the Philippines to Hong Kong and cost between P917.00 to P1,130.00) to

The Marriage Registration and Records Office
3/F, Low Block Queensway Government Offices
66 Queensway, Hong Kong

It is cheaper to send it through your local post office (though it will be quite uncomfortable given the clutter and the number of people who go there) than to send it in satellite postal offices in your local malls (my preference as it is comfortable and accepts mails up to 6 PM). Despite your mail being properly addressed, be ready to write the SENDER and RECEIVER information twice for your express mail – one on the slip with your tracking number and the other on the plastic packet. Yes, better practice writing in BLOCK letters. 

After you have sent the mail to  Hong Kong, wait for some days to receive a reply regarding your schedule to get married in Hong Kong City Hall or the Cotton Tree Drive.

Anyone else who has gotten married in Hong Kong or is planning to do so?