If your marriage certificate is lost, you can apply to the Marriage Registry for a “certified copy of the marriage certificate”: usually 7 working days, HK$280 each. You will need it for a divorce, a visa application or dealing with an estate, and we can arrange it for you.
Before you apply, check these five common misunderstandings. On the left is what many people think; on the right is what actually happens.
The names are similar but the uses differ. Choose the one closest to what you need:
Certified copy of marriage certificate
For a marriage registered in Hong Kong, you need the marriage certificate to file for divorce, apply for a spouse visa, or deal with an estate or insurance.
Any Marriage Registry or the Marriage Registration and Records Office. You can also post the form, or submit Form MR10 online.
Search fee HK$140, plus HK$280 per certified copy; usually 7 working days.
Certificate of No Marriage Record
Proves that you have no marriage record in Hong Kong. It is often used for a marriage outside Hong Kong, and is known informally as the “single-status certificate”.
Any Marriage Registry; bring your original identity card. You can also apply online (Form MR35).
Search fee HK$140, certificate HK$680; usually 7 working days. If a Hong Kong marriage record is found, only a marriage record letter will be issued.
Mainland marriage certificate
For a marriage registered on the Mainland, a divorce in Hong Kong requires the Mainland marriage certificate.
The Mainland marriage registration office. Since 10 May 2025 applications can be made at offices across the country (where both parties are already Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan residents, apply to the original place of registration or where you work or live; best to check first).
Follow Mainland rules. Once you have the certificate back, we help you prepare the documents needed for a Hong Kong divorce.
Need to replace a divorce document? Read our article on the decree absolute →
From realising you cannot find the certificate to getting the certified copy back, each step explained first.
A certified copy, a certificate of no marriage record, or a Mainland marriage certificate? Each has a different use, and a different place to apply.
A Hong Kong identity card or valid travel document. If you apply for someone else, attach their consent form and a copy of their identity document.
Go in person to any Marriage Registry, post it, or submit Form MR10 online through GovHK.
Pay the HK$140 search fee when you submit. The certified copy costs HK$280 each, paid when you collect it.
After usually 7 working days, collect it from the office you chose; postal applications are posted back to you. If it is not collected within 6 months of the application date, the application is cancelled.
Prefer to do it yourself? The five steps above explain everything. If you run into a problem, you can also ask us on WhatsApp.
Quoted per case
Government fees are charged at cost: HK$140 for the search, HK$280 per certified copy. Our service fee is stated before you engage us, with no hidden charges.
Government fees, the overseas postage surcharge (HK$70), airmail postage and the Apostille fee (HK$125) are charged at cost, and all listed before you engage us.
All seven can accept applications for a search and a certified copy. Pick the most convenient:
Marriage Registration and Records Office postal address
3/F, Low Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong (MTR Admiralty Station, Exit C1). Monday to Friday 8:45–4:45; Saturday 9:00–11:30. Postal applications are sent here.
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City Hall · Cotton Tree Drive
City Hall Marriage Registry: 1/F, High Block, City Hall, Central. Cotton Tree Drive Marriage Registry: G/F, Lo Nin Shun Building, 19 Cotton Tree Drive, Central. Monday to Friday 8:45–12:45 and 2:00–4:45; Saturday 9:00–11:30 (City Hall until 12:30).
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Tsim Sha Tsui Marriage Registry
Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. Monday to Friday 8:45–12:45 and 2:00–4:45; Saturday 9:00–11:30.
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Sha Tin · Tseung Kwan O · Tuen Mun
Sha Tin: G/F, Sha Tin Town Hall, 1 Yuen Wo Road. Tseung Kwan O: Immigration Headquarters Administration Building, 61 Po Yap Road. Tuen Mun: G/F, Tuen Mun Government Offices, 19 Siu Lun Street. Monday to Friday 8:45–12:45 and 2:00–4:45 (Tseung Kwan O 8:45–4:30); Saturday 9:00–11:30.
WhatsApp usSearch applications are not handled on Sundays and public holidays; office hours are as announced by the Immigration Department.
A wife preparing to file for divorce searched every drawer and could not find her marriage certificate. We applied for a certified copy for her and prepared the divorce documents at the same time, so she did not have to sit and wait.
A couple married in Shenzhen want to divorce in Hong Kong, but their marriage certificate is lost. Hong Kong holds no record of a Mainland marriage, so they must get a replacement from the Mainland marriage registration office. Since 2025 this can be done across regions, depending on the parties’ status; check with the registration office first.
A man who had moved to the UK needed a marriage certificate for his visa application. He applied by post from overseas, paying an extra HK$70, and checked before posting whether the local authority required an apostille.
A daughter is dealing with her father’s estate and needs her parents’ marriage record. She is not a party to the marriage, so she attaches her father’s death certificate and her own birth certificate, states the purpose, and the Registrar decides.
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All articlesFrom applying and fees to other certificates, start with the common questions.
Every case begins with a no-pressure conversation. We listen to your situation, answer in plain language and help you decide your next step.
WhatsApp usWhat you get is a “certified copy of the marriage certificate”, issued and certified by the Marriage Registry from its records: HK$280 each, generally 7 working days.
The parties to the marriage, the parents or legal guardian of a party under 18, or a person holding the party’s consent form. Anyone else must state their relationship to the parties, the purpose of the search and how the record will be used, attach supporting documents, and the Registrar decides each case individually.
Yes, through GovHK. But the online service is only for the parties themselves, their parents or guardian (if a party is under 18), or a person holding a consent form. Anyone else must apply in person or by post.
Show your Hong Kong identity card or a valid travel document if you apply in person; those who apply online show it when they collect. Postal applications must attach a copy of the document. If you apply with a consent form, you must also provide a copy of the party’s identity document, and bring the original consent form when you collect.
Government fees: HK$140 for the record search, paid when you submit; HK$280 per certified copy, paid when you collect. Applying by post from outside Hong Kong costs HK$70 more; airmail return is charged separately for postage.
Usually 7 working days (Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays); it may take longer at busy times or in complex cases. Postal time is not counted for postal applications.
If you do not collect it within 6 months of the application date, the application is cancelled.
Yes. Once you sign a consent form, the person holding it can apply on your behalf. You can also post the application yourself or submit it online.
We confirm which certificate you need, fill in the forms, prepare the consent form, submit and follow up, and arrange an Apostille if needed. If you are also getting a divorce, we handle the documents together.
It proves that you have no marriage record in Hong Kong, and is often used for a marriage outside Hong Kong. Government fees: HK$140 for the search, HK$680 for the certificate; usually 7 working days.
You must get a replacement from the Mainland marriage registration office, because Hong Kong holds no record of Mainland marriages. Since 10 May 2025 applications can be made at offices across the country. Where both parties are already Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan residents, you must apply to the original registration office, or the one where you work or live; best to check first.
Yes, but you apply to the Family Court Registry, not the Marriage Registry. Start with our article on the decree absolute, or ask us on WhatsApp.
It depends on the country. Many countries require an Apostille. The High Court Registry handles it at HK$125 per application; in person it usually takes about 2 working days (about two weeks if posted overseas). For use on the Mainland, it must be notarised by a China-Appointed Attesting Officer.
