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5 golden rules for foreigners’ marriage plan in Hong Kong during COVID-19

5 Golden Rules for Foreigners' Marriage Plan in Hong Kong during COVID-19

(updated in June 2022)

foreigners-marriage-plan-in-Hong-Kong-during-COVID-19

As the COVID-19 situation got better around the world recently, we have noticed a trend where people are excited about getting married abroad again and obviously Hong Kong is one of the most popular wedding destinations for its minimal requirements and wide recognition. In recent months, there have been many foreigner couples enquiring about the possibilities of getting married in Hong Kong in time of COVID-19. We have summed up the following 5 rules for foreigner couples who are planning their wedding in Hong Kong during the pandemic:

1. Have the rules of foreigners getting married in Hong Kong been changed during COVID-19?

No, there is in fact no change for the marriage policy and wedding applications of foreigners are being accepted during the pandemic. You are allowed to register your marriage in Hong Kong regardless of your nationality or religion as always! For the general marriage requirements for foreigners, please go to this page.

2. Is the travel ban for foreigners still in force?

There is no longer a travel ban for non-HK residents! The Hong Kong Government has announced that tourists are allowed to enter Hong Kong starting from May 1, 2022! The related news article and official announcement from the Hong Kong government can be found below:
 
1. Non-residents-allowed-to-enter-Hong-Kong-from-May-1 (News article from the Standard Hong Kong)
2. Official announcement from HK Government (with details of the travel policy such as vaccination & 7-day quarantine etc.)
 
Similar to quite a number of other places, the Hong Kong government has implemented various control measures for inbound travellers to prevent the importation of COVID-19 cases. These measures include quarantine (e.g. 7-day), vaccination and document requirements (e.g. negative test result proof) etc. depending on your locations as well as personal situations. If you are staying in Guangdong Province of China, the travellers can apply for quarantine-free travel to Hong Kong through the Come2hk Scheme.
 
When planning your wedding in Hong Kong, it is important to be well aware of these requirements because this could affect your arrival date and your period of stay in Hong Kong in order to complete all necessary wedding formalities in Hong Kong. For example, when compulsory quarantine is needed, you will have to complete the quarantine period before going to the marriage office or registry for your wedding process. So it is very important to plan your wedding schedule carefully to comply with the requirements because a little mistake could ruin the whole wedding plan.
 

3. What if you haven't been vaccinated?

Strictly speaking, it is not a must to get vaccinated in order to get married in Hong Kong, it’s not a requirement under the Marriage Laws of Hong Kong. The rule is that part of the traveling restrictions can be exempted if the inbound travelers have been fully vaccinated (depending on your locations). For example, for foreigners residing in Mainland China, Macao or Taiwan, fully vaccinated travellers can shorten the compulsory quarantine period from 14 days to 7 days under some conditions. Generally speaking, the overall travelling requirements will be less strict for those who have been fully vaccinated.

Please note that the related policy changes from time to time so kindly refer to the updated information when planning your wedding.

4. Where can you find a reliable source of information?

There is a wide range of information online about the latest COVID situation as well as traveling requirements in Hong Kong. As you may have already found out during your research, some information may be ambiguous, inconsistent or even contrary to each other at some points. Moreover, the quarantine and travel documents requirements are changing from time to time depending on the prevailing COVID-19 situations around the world. So our rule here is to stick with official channels for important information, getting access to reliable and accurate sources of information will be important in devising your wedding plan in Hong Kong. 
 
Below are some official websites of the Hong Kong about COVID-19 we used to make reference to:
 
Official HKSAR Government Website for COVID-19
Centre for Health Protection Website
Hong Kong International Airport Website for COVID-19
 

5. What is the best way to plan your marriage in Hong Kong during COVID-19?

We do understand it is so difficult to plan your wedding in Hong Kong due to the countless uncertainties during COVID-19. From preparing the application documents to deciding the wedding dates and from taking leave from work to fixing the travelling schedule, it really takes a lot of work for the whole planning and nothing comes easy. In addition, the travelling and quarantine requirements can be changed by the government anytime, which makes the whole planning even more difficult. 
 
From our hands-on experience in handling the wedding application of our clients in the time of COVID-19, the best way to deal with the great uncertainties is making a “fast and flexible” plan. A fast plan means that we have to act fast to get all required paperwork ready so that a wedding application can be filed quickly once the situation allows the wedding plan to proceed. At the same time, the plan should be flexible enough to prepare for any unexpected changes to arise. For example, since every wedding application will expire in 3 months, we will direct our clients to prepare their documents and file the application at the right time so that they do not have to prepare the whole application all over again after expiry, resulting in unnecessary extra time and cost for the wedding process. Therefore, staying fast and flexible will be the main factors for the success of planning your marriage in Hong Kong during COVID-19.

Have questions about your wedding plan in Hong Kong?

If you have any queries about planning a marriage in Hong Kong, feel free to email us or leave your question at the side bar (scroll below if you are viewing on mobile). We will revert to you in 24 hours!