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Wealthy Chinese head to Singapore to tie the knot
Singapore has become a new destination for wealthy Chinese to get married, according to Taiwan-based magazine Money Weekly.
Li Fuhai and his fiancee Ma Jing, whose names have been changed upon request, are one of the couples who decided to go to Singapore to register for marriage. It is not easy to get married in the city-state: the country stipulates that one person in the couple must be a resident or have a permanent address in the country.
Li asked his assistant to contact an agency to apply for expedited permanent residency, but his assistant told him that the application process is very strict and it would inevitably take some time to hack through the red tape.
As the boss of a medium-sized electronic components manufacturing company, Li has long thought about marrying in Singapore. He and his fiancee have been dating for many years, yet her income is much lower than his. To dispel concerns from his fiancee, who would be placed at a disadvantage in the event of separation under new laws introduced in China, he chose Singapore to get married.
A lawyer experienced in the area of overseas marriage laws at the Sanggong Law Firm said, "If the marriage registration is in a foreign country, the couple can only file for divorce in the country in which they were married."
He further explained that marriage laws are different in Singapore and China. China has made a new amendment that requires equality in the distribution of family resources, while Singapore's laws emphasize equality in the family structure itself. One such law stipulates that if an income gap exists between two spouses, the one earning less must contribute to the family more in their spare time and care for any children and housework. Another law states that if the couple divorces, the spouse earning less is entitled to about half of the family property as well.
The other reason for wealthy Chinese people to marry in Singapore could be that the wedding can be a more low-key affair, since marriage records in Singapore have a certain degree of confidentiality, the lawyer added.
Source: http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20120808000023&cid=1103
Singapore has become a new destination for wealthy Chinese to get married, according to Taiwan-based magazine Money Weekly.
Li Fuhai and his fiancee Ma Jing, whose names have been changed upon request, are one of the couples who decided to go to Singapore to register for marriage. It is not easy to get married in the city-state: the country stipulates that one person in the couple must be a resident or have a permanent address in the country.
Li asked his assistant to contact an agency to apply for expedited permanent residency, but his assistant told him that the application process is very strict and it would inevitably take some time to hack through the red tape.
As the boss of a medium-sized electronic components manufacturing company, Li has long thought about marrying in Singapore. He and his fiancee have been dating for many years, yet her income is much lower than his. To dispel concerns from his fiancee, who would be placed at a disadvantage in the event of separation under new laws introduced in China, he chose Singapore to get married.
A lawyer experienced in the area of overseas marriage laws at the Sanggong Law Firm said, "If the marriage registration is in a foreign country, the couple can only file for divorce in the country in which they were married."
He further explained that marriage laws are different in Singapore and China. China has made a new amendment that requires equality in the distribution of family resources, while Singapore's laws emphasize equality in the family structure itself. One such law stipulates that if an income gap exists between two spouses, the one earning less must contribute to the family more in their spare time and care for any children and housework. Another law states that if the couple divorces, the spouse earning less is entitled to about half of the family property as well.
The other reason for wealthy Chinese people to marry in Singapore could be that the wedding can be a more low-key affair, since marriage records in Singapore have a certain degree of confidentiality, the lawyer added.
Source: http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20120808000023&cid=1103
