Certificate of Single?

[Vaughn]

Hello gang

I am asking this question on behalf of a friend of mine.

He is a Australian Citizen that has been a PR of Canada for many years. This individual is planning to marry a girl from mainland China (marriage to take place in China) and apparently he is required to bring a "Certificate of Single" with him when he leaves Canada.

He has never heard of any such document and neither have i. My question is does anyone have an idea of what this document is and how to go about obtaining one? I really don't know if this is a Canadian form or Chinese form.

He is also expected to have it approved by the Chinese government, not sure if an embassy in Canada or in China.

If someone can shed some light please do so.

 

[tuyen]

Hello gang

I am asking this question on behalf of a friend of mine.

He is a Australian Citizen that has been a PR of Canada for many years. This individual is planning to marry a girl from mainland China (marriage to take place in China) and apparently he is required to bring a "Certificate of Single" with him when he leaves Canada.

He has never heard of any such document and neither have i. My question is does anyone have an idea of what this document is and how to go about obtaining one? I really don't know if this is a Canadian form or Chinese form.

He is also expected to have it approved by the Chinese government, not sure if an embassy in Canada or in China.

If someone can shed some light please do so.

It's called a "Certificate of Non-Impediment to Marriage". Some countries provide those things, and some don't. The government of Canada does not. So what he has to do is go to a lawyer or notary and write up a statement that says "I declare that I'm single, not married as of November 15, 2012, I am of legal age to be married, and there is nothing legally preventing me from getting married" (or words to that effect - the lawyer will probably have a standard template that they use). Then he gets the lawyer or notary to stamp it, and it becomes an official document because he swore to it under oath. He then has to have it translated into one of the main Chinese dialects (either Mandarin or Cantonese, depending on what they want at the place where he'll be getting married. The translation can be done at any Chinese consulate or embassy in Canada if he wants to avoid problems, or he can have it translated privately and hope that the Chinese government will accept it. Some countries INSIST on a government official translating documents, while others will let you have it translated by anyone qualified, as long as they swear/affirm that the translation is accurate and truthful. He should check with the Chinese authorities to see what their requirements are.

 

[truesmile]

Some Canadian Embassy's (such as CEM - Manila) do however provide an "Affidavit in Lieu of Certificate of Non-impediment to Marriage". And for example, in the Philippines, you can ONLY get from there after you have arrived and in person.

 

[fandv]

Hello gang

I am asking this question on behalf of a friend of mine.

He is a Australian Citizen that has been a PR of Canada for many years. This individual is planning to marry a girl from mainland China (marriage to take place in China) and apparently he is required to bring a "Certificate of Single" with him when he leaves Canada.

He has never heard of any such document and neither have i. My question is does anyone have an idea of what this document is and how to go about obtaining one? I really don't know if this is a Canadian form or Chinese form.

He is also expected to have it approved by the Chinese government, not sure if an embassy in Canada or in China.

If someone can shed some light please do so.

Hi Vaughn,

I know exactly what your friend was referring to, as I myself recently had to get such a thing. I'm a Canadian citizen who recently married an Indonesian woman, and I had to get that letter from the Canadian embassy in Indonesia (Jakarta). My letter says "Statement in Lieu of a Certificate of Non-impediment to Marriage", and it was provided in both English and Indonesian, which is good because then I didn't have to translate it.
I didn't even need to visit the embassy...I made the request entirely by email, and I had my wife (back then was my fianceé) send them a money order (the equivalent of 30 CAD for the letter, plus the equivalent of CAD 2 to cover their cost to mail the letter to my fianceé) along with the required documentations, and they mailed the letter within 2 business days.

The required documentations (at least for me. For your friend if might be different) were:

- Passport copies of both parties
- Birth Certificate (if born in Canada) or Citizenship Card (if born outside Canada) of the Canadian citizen
- Divorce documents if any of you were married before
- Contact information for both of the couple (includes complete address and phone number)
- Declaration from the Non-Canadian Citizen concerning their nationality and marital status

I bet if your friend calls or emails the Canadian embassy in Beijing to ask for it, they will gladly provide it.....

Check this out!

http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/china-chine/offices-bureaux/index.aspx?lang=eng&view=d#2

 

[lorenb]

Hello gang

I am asking this question on behalf of a friend of mine.

He is a Australian Citizen that has been a PR of Canada for many years. This individual is planning to marry a girl from mainland China (marriage to take place in China) and apparently he is required to bring a "Certificate of Single" with him when he leaves Canada.

He has never heard of any such document and neither have i. My question is does anyone have an idea of what this document is and how to go about obtaining one? I really don't know if this is a Canadian form or Chinese form.

He is also expected to have it approved by the Chinese government, not sure if an embassy in Canada or in China.

If someone can shed some light please do so.

I just went through that myself in July. You can get the document from the Canadian embassy in Beiing. You can only get it on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons (1:30pm - 3:00pm) as that is working hours for the notary. He just needs his Canadian passport to enter the office. The cost is $50 CAD (or 340 RMB give or take). It is simple form to fill out and I was in and out pretty quickly.

Canadian Embassy/Ambassade du Canada
19 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Beijing , 100600
Tel: (86-10) 5139 4440 / 5139 4000

 

[Kev1n]

Because he is PR, he does not come under Canadian embassy, he would have to go to Australian embassy, but rules are different for each country, keep asking on here, and ask the Australian embassy.

 

[truesmile]

Good catch Kev1n, totally missed that!

 

[Kev1n]

shanghai.china.embassy.gov.au/shai/Marriage2.html

 

[frenchie57]

Some Canadian Embassy's (such as CEM - Manila) do however provide an "Affidavit in Lieu of Certificate of Non-impediment to Marriage". And for example, in the Philippines, you can ONLY get from there after you have arrived and in person.

My husband and I got married in France in June. And we were indeed able to get a Certificate from the Canadian Embassy in Paris.
Prior to this, we had to go to a notary (in Canada) and he declared that he was single

 

[frenchie57]

Hello gang

I am asking this question on behalf of a friend of mine.

He is a Australian Citizen that has been a PR of Canada for many years. This individual is planning to marry a girl from mainland China (marriage to take place in China) and apparently he is required to bring a "Certificate of Single" with him when he leaves Canada.

He has never heard of any such document and neither have i. My question is does anyone have an idea of what this document is and how to go about obtaining one? I really don't know if this is a Canadian form or Chinese form.

He is also expected to have it approved by the Chinese government, not sure if an embassy in Canada or in China.

If someone can shed some light please do so.

Is he expected to provide the proof that he is single from Australia AND Canada ?
My husband has double citizenship: Canadian and Romanian. Because he chose to marry me as a Canadien citizen, he was not asked to provide such document from Romania (even though he lived there for over 18 years), he only had to provide the documents from Canada

 

[Kev1n]

No just Australian, his getting married in China has nothing to do with sponsoring, his spouse, for Canada, it's just for marriage rules in China.