Fake mariage - Real license
 

I'm a dual citizen French/American, my girlfriend is American, we live in California and we are planning to go on a RTW trip on two bikes.

I got the feeling that it would be useful to be maried. Some countries may deliver a visa more easily to a French national, some to an American citizen. Some countries don't allow non-maried couples to share the same room. In case of problems if one of us ends up in jail, the other may not have any right to help or visit etc...

The problem is that we don't want to get maried quite yet. A trick could be for us to apply for mariage, get the Mariage _License_ (a fairly official looking document that would impress any cop or border guard) but not go to a minister to celebrate the union and, of course, never return the Mariage _Certificate_ (which is the actual proof of mariage).

So...

1) Is it really useful to be maried? If you have travelled with your spouse/companion, have you ever been asked if you were maried? Did you have to show a proof of mariage?

2) (for those of you US lawyers...) Is there any legal implication in filing for a Mariage License but never complete the Mariage Certificate?

Thanks!

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Pierre
http://www.geocities.com/skypie999/bikes/

I don't think anyone really cares much anymore about whether or not an adult couple are married or not. I doubt if any couple has been asked to produce a marriage license since the old King died.

I mean, it's not as if you are planning to rent an apartment or something like that - for the most part, you will just be 'passing through'. Innkeepers want your cash, they don't care about your status.

So far as visas go - who cares? If you send in the visa applications separately, who at the embassy will even mentally connect the two of you together?

If you are really concerned, and plan to visit some very religious areas (e.g. stay in small towns in rural Portugal, be a house guest of an conservative Ayatollah in Iran, etc.) buy her a ring and let her wear it. That should be good enough.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by PanEuropean:
So far as visas go - who cares? If you send in the visa applications separately, who at the embassy will even mentally connect the two of you together?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

It is the opposite. For some countries (Sudan, Iran), I thought it would be easier to obtain visas for the two of us if our applications are processed together, especially if we apply from consulates in Niamey or Karachi.

I just did a quick search regarding hotel rooms and visa applications for non-married couples but opinions diverge. Stories were reported from Iran, Malaysia, Mauritania and, of course, ...Idaho! :-)

Iran: http://travel.guardian.co.uk/askatra...432776,00.html
Malaysia: http://www.charm.net/~bruce/actsofgod.htm
Mauritania: http://www.igougo.com/planning/journ...6&EntryID=3557
Idaho: http://www.worthlessfacts.com/facts.cfm?ParentCatID=9


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Pierre
http://www.geocities.com/skypie999/bikes/

Like my father always used to say: beter safe then sorry.
What I mean, if you can get the paper, then take it with you. It does not take up to much space and.. you never knwow when it comes in handy. There are lots of place in the world where people have more traditional standards and... expect the same from you.

So... may I be the first to congratulate you on your mariage... even though it's a fake one http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif

Maarten

Just don't let the girl get her hands on a copy of the fake paper... You never know when it might come back to haunt you... http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/tongue.gif

Why not just buy a couple of rings and call it good? I can't imagine anyone asking for a piece of paper, though I can imagine someone wanting to know if you were married or not. Though I've never traveled outside of Europe or NA, I was never asked for any kind of paperwork with my ex.