Topic: Weddings and Marriage Customs
How does Taiwan mark Weddings and Marriage Customs?
Everyday topic
Taiwan has used registration marriage since 2008: a marriage takes effect when it is registered at a household registration office, and the ceremony itself carries no legal force. The 2021 Civil Code amendment set the engagement age at seventeen and the marriage age at eighteen for everyone, in force from 2023. So a couple can register first and pick a date for the banquet later; the legally binding day and the day the family remembers are often not the same day. The date of the ceremony is often chosen by a specialist and arranged separately from the day of registration.
What is this topic?
The legal doorway to marriage differs by place. Taiwan requires household-registration entry for the marriage to take effect; Japan forms the marriage when the marriage notification is accepted; Brazil centres civil registration; Indonesia commonly layers religious ceremony and state registration; India offers personal-law routes alongside the Special Marriage Act; mainland China sets the minimum age at 22 for men and 20 for women; and US marriage licences are handled by the states. A ceremony, banquet, and legal registration may happen on different days. This guide separates legal marriage from the wedding celebration before comparing family and local customs.
Sources and dates
Dates follow local time zones, calendars, and official notices. Check the source when a date is estimated or locally variable.