Married in the US, banquet in Taiwan: the legal date comes from the US, and don't wait for the banquet to register the marriage
If you marry in the US and later go back to Taiwan to hold a wedding banquet, think about the two separately: the legal marriage is the one recorded by the county government in the US and then registered at a household registration office in Taiwan; the banquet back in Taiwan is a party, not a legal procedure. Registering the marriage in Taiwan has a 30-day deadline under the Household Registration Act, so don't wait for the banquet trip to do it.
Below, we first cover how to arrange the dates, then how to divide up the planning: guest lists, budget and invitations.
The legal date and the banquet date are two different things
- On the US side: your wedding date is the wedding where you completed the ceremony in the US and the license was returned to the county government and recorded. Your tax filing status goes by this too: the IRS decides whether you're married or single based on the last day of the tax year (December 31 for most people), so if you marry before December 31, you count as married for the whole year (IRS Publication 501, checked 2026-10-22).
- On the Taiwan side: for marriages after May 23, 2008, Taiwan uses a registration system, and the couple must register the marriage (Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior, checked 2026-10-14). Holding a banquet in Taiwan doesn't change the marital status in your household registration records.
So the invitation can show the banquet date, but the marriage date you put on documents and forms is the one from the US wedding.
Don't wait for the banquet trip to register in Taiwan
Article 48 of the Household Registration Act requires household registration to be applied for within 30 days after the event occurs or is confirmed; the checklist from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in San Francisco says "within 30 days after authentication." Check first with the household registration office or the TECO office about when the 30 days start. Late applications are still accepted, but being late without good reason can bring a fine of NT$300–900 (Laws and Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan), checked 2026-10-22).
The banquet is often scheduled several months after the wedding, which doesn't fit the 30-day deadline. You don't have to wait until you're back in Taiwan: once the marriage certificate has been authenticated by a TECO office, the office can forward it to the household registration office where your household is registered (Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior, checked 2026-10-22). For the steps, see registering a US marriage in Taiwan in five steps; for which office to send it to, see which TECO office to send your marriage certificate to.
There are two more things to check before that trip back to Taiwan:
- Men of conscription age should first read check with the National Conscription Agency before going back to register.
- If you're changing the name on your Taiwan passport too, the documents overlap with the marriage registration, so you can prepare them together; see changing your Taiwan passport name together with the household registration.
Three common ways to arrange it
- US first, then Taiwan: hold the wedding in the US and get it recorded, have the certificate authenticated and forwarded to the household registration office to register the marriage, then go back to Taiwan for the banquet a few months later. The legal steps are done before the banquet, which makes the deadline easiest to manage.
- Taiwan banquet first, then the US wedding: at the banquet you're not yet legally married, and your household registration records won't change; after the US wedding, register in Taiwan within the 30-day deadline. Don't call it a "wedding ceremony" on the invitation, so relatives and friends don't get confused about the legal date.
- Do it all in one trip back: go back to Taiwan soon after the US wedding, take the authenticated certificate and translation in person to any household registration office, and hold the banquet on the same trip. This only works if the authentication is done in the US first; processing at the different offices ranges from a few business days to several weeks.
How to split the guest lists
- First decide which one is the "main" event. The US wedding is limited in size by venue and budget, while the Taiwan banquet can include elders, relatives and your parents' friends.
- For people invited to both, ask which one they'll attend; don't assume they'll come to both.
- If elders from Taiwan are attending the US wedding, plan the venue layout and language separately; see outdoor lawn venues are the least friendly to older guests and language isolation is the most common bad experience for elders.
How to split the budget
Budget the two events separately, each with its own buffer. For how to allocate the US wedding budget, see wedding budget allocation: 50/20/30. The main cost of the Taiwan banquet is the number of tables at the restaurant; for the US wedding, also work out whether and how much to subsidize flights and lodging for relatives and friends from Taiwan, and settle it with both sets of parents first.
Gifts also follow two customs: the US wedding may use a registry, while the Taiwan banquet collects red envelopes. The two can run side by side; see a registry and red envelopes can coexist.
When to send notice
For relatives and friends flying in from Taiwan, send the Save the Date earlier, since they need to take leave and book tickets, and some may need a visa; see Save the Dates for relatives in Taiwan go out earlier. For the Taiwan banquet, send invitations following Taiwanese custom, but make it clear it's a "banquet" so relatives and friends don't think there will be another ceremony.
Common questions
If we marry in the US and then host a banquet in Taiwan, does that count as being married?
The legal marriage is the US wedding plus registering the marriage in Taiwan. Since May 23, 2008, Taiwan has used a registration system, and the banquet itself doesn't change your household registration records.
Can we register in Taiwan when we go back for the banquet?
The Household Registration Act requires you to apply within 30 days, and the banquet usually comes later. Once the marriage certificate has been authenticated by a TECO office, it can be forwarded to the household registration office, so you don't have to wait until you're back in Taiwan.
Which date goes on forms as the marriage date?
The date of the US wedding as recorded on the marriage certificate, not the date of the Taiwan banquet.
The US wedding, registering in Taiwan and the banquet all have dates on the My Wedding Plan checklist; registering in Taiwan is item 15. The checklist has a free version, and you can start without giving an email address; once you choose both partners' status, the relevant items are added to your list.
Sources (checked 2026-10-22)
- Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior: Marriage registration guide (checked 2026-10-22)
- Laws and Regulations Database of the Republic of China (Taiwan): Household Registration Act, Articles 48 and 79 (checked 2026-10-22)
- IRS Publication 501 (checked 2026-10-22)
- Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco: Checklist for authenticating birth and marriage certificates (September 2026 edition) (checked 2026-10-14)