australians getting married in HK

if australians get married in HK (register) is that recognised legally in Oz or do we have to register there and/or send a notice or something? thanks in advance.

Ah, this is an interesting one. It is so unclear that this (quoted verbatim from their website) is the HK Australian Consulate's best understanding of the situation:


"Please note that if there is any doubt that your intended marriage will be recognised by Australian authorities, you should consult a lawyer as Consular Officers are unable to determine that on your behalf."



If, like me, your first reaction is that such a cop-out cannot be for real, see the para just above the section headed "Notice of Intended Marriage" at:

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Although I am not Australian, I am married to one. She asked at the OZ-Consulate in HK whether shh should register our marriage, They informed us that there is no need because the marriage is recognized in OZ (to my understanding, a HK marriage is pretty much recognised anywhere in the world).

I'm an Aussie who married overseas (in NZ). The marriage is recognised in Oz and I only had trouble when I wanted my married name on my Aussie passport. A new rule introduced in July last year meant that I had to apply to the registry of B,D&M for a name change. The Aussie consulate has the details. New passport in new name is free if you apply within 12 months of marriage.

I'm Australian and was married in Hong Kong.

Yes the marriage is legally recognised in Australia.


One thing to know about with the passport name change, if you intend to do it, is that as a previous poster mentioned in Australia now, with the new M series security passports, you need to get an official marriage certificate from BDM. If you were married in Australia, the certificate you get from your church or celebrant there is not considered official.


The implications of that, if you get married in a church in Hong Kong, is that the Australian immigration department do not recognise your offical marriage certificate, which in Hong Kong IS the one issued by the church. I had to pay to get a legally registered COPY of my marriage certificate from the Hong Kong government, which has a government chop on it, as my ACTUAL marriage certificate from the church was not accepted by Australian Immigration. {Wallies!}