How are regulations on marriage registration ceremony in Vietnam which involves foreign elements?

According to Decree No. 126/2014/ND-CP of Vietnam’s Government, within 5 working days after the chairperson of the provincial-level People’s Committee signs a marriage certificate, the provincial-level Justice Department shall hold a marriage registration ceremony. To be specific:

- The marriage registration ceremony shall be held officially at the office of the provincial-level Justice Department: Both partners must be present at the marriage registration ceremony. A representative of the provincial-level Justice Department shall conduct the ceremony and ask the partners to affirm their voluntariness of marriage. If the partners agree to get married, the provincial-level Justice Department representative shall record their marriage in the marriage registration book, request the partners to sign the marriage certificate and marriage registration book and give each partner one original marriage certificate.

- A marriage certificate becomes valid on the date of holding the marriage registration ceremony mentioned above: The provincial-level Justice Department shall grant copies of the marriage certificate from the marriage registration book when so requested.

Note: In case the partners request to extend the time for holding the marriage registration ceremony prescribed in Clause 1 of this Article for a plausible reason, the date of holding the marriage registration ceremony may be extended for another 90 days at most from the date the chairperson of the provincial-level People’s Committee signs the marriage certificate. Past 90 days, if the partners fail to come for the marriage registration ceremony, the provincial-level Justice Department shall report to the chairperson of the provincial-level People’s Committee on non-organization of the marriage registration ceremony and the marriage certificate shall be kept in the dossier.

In case the partners still wish to get married, they shall carry out marriage registration procedures again.

View more details at Decree No. 126/2014/ND-CP of Vietnam’s Government, effective from February 15, 2015.

Le Hai

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