The Ministry of Justice yesterday forwarded to the Cabinet a proposed amendment to the Civil Code to regulate weddings.
Under the proposal, a married couple will have to bring a written document and at least two official witnesses to register their marriage with household registration agencies.
If the Legislative Yuan passes the amendment to the Law Governing the Application of the Book of Family (親屬編施行法), the impact on the traditional wedding system is expected to be tremendous.
However, in an effort to limit the impact of the proposed change, the ministry included a clause stipulating that there be a two-year period between the time the amendment becomes law and the time it is implemented.
Ministry official say the grace period would give the government time to provide public awareness programs about the new system before it is implemented.
A "ceremonial wedding" is defined as a wedding with a public ceremony and at least two official witnesses. (Editors note: Even if a wedding takes place at a court house, it is not legally recognized until a household registration agency has registered it.)
Under the proposed registry system, the bride and groom and their witnesses would be required to go to a household registry agency to present their marriage certificate signed by the couple and their two witnesses.
The ministry said the change would address the shortcomings of the ceremonial system such as the lack of public notice, its failure to prevent bigamy and the lack of official standards for such marriages.
Traditionally, marriages have not had to be registered with authorities but divorces did. This created situations where an estranged couple who had not officially registered their wedding had go through the registration process so they could divorce.
Ministry officials stressed that the proposed amendment will not bar ceremonial weddings -- couples will just have to make sure they register their weddings with household registration agencies.
The impetus for the change has been the trend for Taiwanese businessmen to take second wives in China.
Many were apparently able to do so because their marriages in Taiwan were not registered, so they were able to lie about their status. It has also been easy to obtain documentation attesting that a married person is single.
Officials say a registration system would help deter bigamy and safeguard the rights and interests of wives in Taiwan.
Translated by Jackie Lin
RSS