A Chinese-Vietnamese couple wants to register their marriage in Vietnam — where do they file? This first question is also the easiest to get wrong: since 01/7/2025, marriage registration with foreign elements has moved to the commune-level People’s Committee, no longer the district level. This guide walks through the A–Z procedure, highlighting the two updates most likely to get a dossier returned.
1. Marriage conditions: each party follows their own national law
Under Article 8 of the Law on Marriage and Family 2014 (No. 52/2014/QH13): the man must be at least 20 years old, the woman at least 18; marriage is voluntarily decided by both parties; and neither party falls under the prohibited cases in Clause 2, Article 5 (e.g. already married, lacking civil act capacity, marriage within three generations…).
For marriages with foreign elements, Article 126 provides: each party must comply with the law of their own country on marriage conditions. If the marriage is registered with a competent Vietnamese authority, the foreigner must also comply with the Law on Marriage and Family on marriage conditions. The Chinese citizen must therefore satisfy both Chinese and Vietnamese law.
2. The most important update: registration at the commune level since 01/7/2025
Under Article 4 of Decree 120/2025/ND-CP (issued 11/6/2025, effective 01/7/2025), all civil status registration authority under Chapter III of the Civil Status Law 49/2014/QH13 — including marriage registration with foreign elements — moved to the commune, ward and special-zone People’s Committees. In practice: the commune-level People’s Committee of the Vietnamese citizen’s place of residence handles Chinese-Vietnamese marriage registration.
Any source predating 01/7/2025 that says “register at the district-level People’s Committee” or “Department of Justice” is outdated. Filing at the wrong (district) level is one of the most common reasons dossiers get returned. In practice, many commune-level People’s Committees have already been organizing marriage certificate award ceremonies with foreign elements since 2025–2026.
3. Dossier for the Chinese citizen
Under Article 30 of Decree 123/2015/ND-CP (amended in 2020, 2022 and 2025), the Chinese party prepares:
- Marital status certificate issued by a competent Chinese authority, still valid. If China does not issue this type of document, it may be replaced by a certificate of eligibility for marriage under Chinese law;
- Medical certificate from a competent health organization, issued no more than 06 months ago, confirming the person does not suffer from mental illness or another disease causing loss of cognitive capacity — this document is mandatory; many Chinese-Vietnamese couples have dossiers returned for missing it;
- Passport, international travel document or residence card still valid.
Note: documents without a stated validity period are valid for only 06 months from issuance. The Chinese citizen needs lawful residence in Vietnam (valid visa/temporary residence card) when registering the marriage in Vietnam.
4. Dossier for the Vietnamese citizen: no marital status certificate needed
The Vietnamese party prepares the marriage registration declaration (both parties may use one joint form). New point: under Decree 07/2025/ND-CP (effective 09/01/2025), the civil status authority does not require Vietnamese citizens to submit a marital status certificate — the information is retrieved from the database.
Important: this rule applies only to Vietnamese citizens. The Chinese citizen must still provide marital status documents under Article 30 of Decree 123/2015/ND-CP above. Confusing this point is a very common mistake.
5. Consular legalization and translation
All documents issued by Chinese authorities must be consular-legalized and translated into Vietnamese with notarization/certification before filing. Start the legalization step early — it is usually the most time-consuming part.
6. Procedure and processing time: 05 working days
Under the Appendix to Decree 120/2025/ND-CP (effective 1 July 2025):
- File the complete valid dossier at the commune-level People’s Committee of the Vietnamese citizen’s residence;
- Processing time is 05 working days from receipt of the complete valid dossier; where verification is needed, the time limit does not exceed 10 working days;
- Both parties sign the Marriage Registration Book and the Marriage Certificate;
- The Chairperson of the commune-level People’s Committee awards the Marriage Certificate to both parties.
7. Three common mistakes that get dossiers returned
- Missing mental-health certificate (or one older than 06 months) for the Chinese party;
- Chinese documents expired after 06 months or not consular-legalized;
- Filing at the district-level People’s Committee instead of the commune level of the Vietnamese citizen’s residence.
See also: Foreigners married to Vietnamese citizens: which temporary residence card category?
Contact us
FLAT Law Firm assists Chinese-Vietnamese couples with marriage registration: reviewing each party’s dossier, consular-legalizing documents from China, filing at the commune-level People’s Committee and tracking the processing. Contact: contact us.
This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice for your specific situation.
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