Conditions of Getting Married in Vietnam

Marriage in Vietnam often crosses many cultures and involves a variety of ceremonies to acknowledge the union of two people. But how does Vietnam law regulate the process of getting married and leading to the legally recognized union of two people.

Vietnamese law prescribes the conditions for all marriages as follows:

• The man must be at least 20 years old while the women must be at least 18 or above.
• The marriage is voluntarily decided by both parties.
• The man and women do not lose the civil act capacity.

The marriage conditions should not fall into the following cases:

• Sham marriage
• Underage marriage
• Forcing a person into marriage
• Deceiving a person into marriage
• A married person getting married to or cohabitating as husband and wife with another person, or vice versa
• Getting married or cohabitating as husband and wife between people of the same direct blood line; relatives within three generations; adoptive parent and adopted child; or former adoptive parent and adopted child, father-in-law and daughter-in-law, mother-in-law and son-in-law, or stepparent and stepchild.

Documents required for marriage registration of local Vietnamese:

• A marriage registration declaration according to the regulated form
• A certificate of marital status
• Identification documents (i.e. Passport, Identity Card, Citizen identification or others documents attached photo)
• Certificate of residence (i.e. certified copy of registration book or temporary residence book).

Documents required for marriage registration of foreigners in Vietnam:

• A form of marriage registration declaration
• A certificate marital status
• Identification documents (i.e. Certified copy of Passport or visa, temporary residence card)
• A certificate issued by the competent Vietnamese or foreign health organization stating that he/she does not suffer any mental or other diseases which deprive him/her of the ability to perceive and control his/her acts to the civil status registration agency
• Other documents prescribed in the law of civil status case by case.

Common legal questions about marriage in Vietnam:

1. Is same-sex marriage recognized under Vietnamese law?
   – No it is not.
2. Whether a divorced couple could reinstate their marriage or not?
   – Yes, but they must register for the marriage.
3. Whether the man and the woman who cohabiting as husband and wife without marriage registration are recognized as legally husband and wife or not?
   – No it is not recognized.
4. When is a marriage valid?
   – The marriage is only legally valid if it is registered at the competent marriage registration authority.

It is a complex formality to get married in Vietnam especially for foreigners or expats. Though there is little to worry about in obtaining a marriage registration certificate, several procedural steps may confuse you and we highly recommend you seek out our help to properly secure your marriage. If you have any enquiries, feel free to contact us through the contact form below.