Taiwan recognises same-sex marriages between Chinese, Taiwanese
September 23, 2024Taiwan has been a leader in Asia’s growing LGBTQ+ rights movement, becoming the region’s first place to legalise marriage equality in 2019.
However, due to tensions between Taiwan and China—which claims Taiwan as its own territory and routinely conducts military manoeuvres around it—cross-strait couples weren’t granted the same rights.
Heterosexual couples with one Chinese and one Taiwanese partner face a more complicated process than other international couples. They must first marry abroad and then pass an interview in Taiwan before registering their marriage.
“From now on, same-sex couples can now be subject to the regulations of heterosexual couples,” stated Liang Wen-chieh, spokesperson for Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, which deals with cross-strait issues, during a regular briefing.
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These couples must first legally marry in one of the 35 countries that recognise marriage equality. After submitting their marriage certificate and other documents, “relevant agencies will conduct interviews with the couple.”
“Only after passing the interview at the border (at the airport and ports) can they enter the country to register their marriages. This is our current principle for cross-strait marriages,” he explained.
Liang mentioned that the regulations for heterosexual cross-strait marriages have existed for a long time “to prevent cross-border fake marriages and avoid problems of national security and social order.”
Following Thursday’s announcement, “the government upholds the principle of treating same-sex marriage and heterosexual marriage equally,” he added.
According to ‘France24’, currently, there are about 360,000 Chinese spouses of Taiwanese citizens residing on the island.
They must wait six years to apply for Taiwanese citizenship—twice the duration required for spouses from other countries.
Separated from mainland China by a narrow 180-kilometer (110-mile) strait, Taiwan has its own government, military, and currency. Beijing has declared it will not renounce the use of force to bring the democratic island under its control.
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