Text 8500, 52 rader
Skriven 2010-06-10 06:53:52 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
   Kommentar till text 8492 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
Ärende: Love and marriage
=========================
Ward Dossche wrote to Robert Bashe on Wednesday June 09 2010 at 23:10:

RB>> Well... maybe not in the American sense of the word. But I can
RB>> remember when I got married in Germany, I had to provide a huge mass
RB>> of data and papers, both for me and my future wife, before we finally
RB>> were allowed to say "yes" in front of an official at the "Standesamt"
RB>> (civil registry office).

WD> That much? Well as an ex-USA person you maybe raised suspicion.

;-) At that time I wasn't an "ex", but I had to provide quite a bit of data on
my future wife as well.

WD> My wife to be and myself both showed our identity-card and that was it
WD> ... no paperwork ... nothing at all.

Germany definitely requires more.

As an aside, I can still remember the time I translated a letter (in English,
into German) from a black guy's father in Africa to the effect that he (the
father) would have nothing against his son marrying a white woman in Germany,
and would welcome her into the family. The father's agreement had been required
by the German authorities for permission to marry a (white) German woman.

RB>> You don't have to do more - rather less - to be married in the
RB>> States.

WD> * Mississippi: A syphilis test is required for men and women.
WD> * Montana: A rubella test is required for women.
WD> * District of Columbia: a syphilis test is required for men and women.

We (my wife and I) also had to have such blood tests made. I forget what they
were for, but suspect the usual veneral disease.

RB>> They may not call this a "license" in Germany - and I suspect the
RB>> procedure is similar in the Netherlands - but it amounts to the same.

WD> I read some documents on the internet that you must pay for a marriage
WD> license in the US.

I believe so, but the fee is usually low - used to be around $10 or so.

WD> As we have no licenses for that here, you obviously don't have to pay
WD> for it.

;-) You'd be surprised what it costs to get all the data together that the
Germans require. Apparently things are more easy-going in Belgium.

Cheers, Bob

--- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-0613
 * Origin: Jabberwocky System - 02363-56073 ISDN/V34 (2:2448/44)