Verify marital status before marrying, and keep records of substantial transfers
A bigamous marriage is invalid. A married person who commits bigamy, or someone who knowingly marries an already married person, can face up to two years. Using a promised marriage to obtain money fraudulently may constitute fraud, with penalties rising with the amount and circumstances. Check rather than relying solely on a verbal assurance.
What it takes
Free. Check the other person’s identification and available marital-status information before registration. Preserve transfers and messages concerning significant gifts or payments.
What you may gain
Civil Code Article 1051 makes bigamous marriage invalid. Criminal Law Article 258 provides up to two years’ imprisonment or criminal detention for the specified bigamy offense. Fraud involving a relatively large amount carries up to three years and the applicable fine provisions; a huge amount carries three to ten years; and an especially huge amount carries at least ten years or life imprisonment, with a fine or confiscation of property under the statutory conditions.
Context & considerations
“Marriage fraud” is not a separate statutory offense. A fraud case requires evidence of the intent to unlawfully obtain the money, deception, and the other elements, assessed through police investigation. Amount thresholds come from judicial interpretations and local implementation; they were not verified in this entry. Victims can be of any sex, and cases can concern either betrothal gifts or dowry property. The original suggests checking the household register as well as ID; any entry should be treated as one piece of evidence rather than assumed to be a complete, current marital-status check.
Research & references
National People’s Congress (2020). Civil Code, Article 1051. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202006/t20200602_463888.shtml; National People’s Congress (1997). Criminal Law, Articles 258 and 266. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/201802/t20180206_364975.shtml.