WE LIVE IN USA
Marry abroad or in another state and you don't have to register again in the US
If you were married in Taiwan or had your wedding in another state, do you need to register again in the state where you live? The answer is no, but there are a few documents you definitely need to keep safe.
The principle: validly formed under local law is recognized
US states generally recognize marriages validly formed under the local law of another state or a foreign country.
The key is the second half: validly formed under local law. Wherever you married, you had to satisfy that place's legal requirements. If the legal process was never completed there (a ceremony held but never registered, say), it doesn't become valid in America out of thin air.
No re-registration, but keep the documents
You don't go to the county clerk to "register" a marriage from outside the US. But you do need to keep:
- The original marriage certificate
- A certified translation (mandatory for any non-English document)
- In some cases, an apostille (Hague authentication)
You will need these documents for immigration or name changes. Waiting until then to get them authenticated and translated will really slow things down, especially if they have to be retrieved from abroad.
What an apostille is and when you need one
An apostille is an internationally recognized form of document authentication, certifying that a document really was issued by that country's authorities. Hague Convention member states recognize each other's.
Whether you need one depends on what you're using the document for and what the receiving agency requires. Ask before you file, rather than doing it or skipping it preemptively.
Three common scenarios
1. Married in Taiwan, living in the US
The Taiwanese marriage record needs certified translation before it can be used for immigration (see item 21 of the checklist). Nothing needs re-registering on the US side.
2. Married in the US, registering back in Taiwan
The opposite direction, and the Taiwan side has a 30-day deadline(see item 15 of the checklist). On the Taiwan side, you cannot just rely on recognition. You actually have to go register at the Household Registration Office, because Taiwan has required registration-based marriage since 2008.
3. Destination weddings
A ceremony held abroad is not necessarily automatically legally effective in the US; it depends on whether registration was completed under local law. The simplest approach: complete the legal registration at a US courthouse first and make the overseas event purely ceremonial (see item 124 of the checklist).
Moving states changes nothing
Married in state A and moved to state B, your marriage remains valid and you do nothing.
But note that the property regime changesCommunity property states and common law states have different rules, and moving across state lines might change the nature of your marital property (see item 73 of the checklist). The marriage itself is fine, but make sure to review your financial planning.
In one line
Nothing to re-register on the US side, but keep the original certificate and translation; the Taiwan side is where you actively have to register, within 30 days.