novelGetting Married - (4)
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17 Getting Married - Part 4
Hou Yi and Anna Jones followed Official Song into the room where the formalities for the issuing of their marriage certificate would be completed, and that the process would be recorded.
Official Song walked around the desk and directed Hou Yi and Anna to sit down in the chairs in front of the desk. Anna noticed that there were three small piles of paperwork on the desk in front of Official Song, one of which had an Australian Passport on top of it, which Anna guessed was her passport. 𝒇𝘳𝐞𝚎𝓌𝑒𝑏𝐧o𝙫ℯ𝑙 - 🅽🅽novel
"Miss Jones, " stated Official Song."Firstly, please let me return your passport to you. There are two reasons we always ask foreigners for their passport. One is so we can check that it is a real, not forged passport and take a copy of it. The other is so that we can use the biometrical data within it, to ensure that you are the person in the passport. There was no such issue in your case". With that Official Song, then handed Anna back her passport, which she returned back into her handbag.
Official Song, stated "I am about to start the process to record the issuing of your marriage certificate. While normally this process would be short, as we are filming it, to ensure that I comply with the law, I have a number of things that I have to say, so that everything is legal. I know it will be boring..."
"Do not worry Official Song, I am a lawyer in Australia, and many people would joke that I specialise in boring", interrupted Anna.
Hou Yi, getting the joke, started laughing, and at the inquiring look of Official Song stated "Australian's have a somewhat weird sense of humour, but in this case what my fiancée is saying is that it is thought that Lawyers in Australia speak a lot of jargon, and unlike officials who have to do it to comply with their job requirements, they do it to annoy people."
Anna nodded to this, and Official Song took this as the signal to continue "...but .... Oh forget it, lets get started on getting you issued your marriage certificate, as you interrupted what I had to say, and I cannot seem to restart."
Official Song paused for a minute, and then picked up a remote, turned it for Hou Yi and Anna to see, and pressed the record button. He paused for a few seconds and continued "As we are filming the issuing of the marriage certificate for Hou Yi and Jones Anna, I will not only explain the process but ensure that all the requirements are complied with, so that Mr Hou and Miss Jones, are properly married according to the laws of the land. Further, in doing this hopefully the family, friends and others who will see the recording of this process will understand that all has been done in accordance with the Law. As Miss Jones is a foreign national as a separate process to this, we have verified her identity using her passport. This process cannot be filed, as the data contained in someone's passport, regardless of whether it is issued in this country or another has to be protected. We here at the Civil Administration Bureau in City T, have been satisfied that Miss Jones is the person who appears in the passport that we have verified. We now turn to the household register that Mr Hou has provided us. I am satisfied that Mr Hou, is the person identified in the household register, and that his details as listed in the register are correct. Further as I have met Mr Hou on previous occasions, I have determined in accordance with the discretion provided to me under the law that I have no need to confirm his exact identity using other documents issued to Mr Hou. Additionally as Mr Hou, has regularly appeared in the press of this country and has been identified in that press which I have seen, I am satisfied that there is no questions as to Mr Hou's identity. Further I have, again out of the sight of this filing, again for the purpose of protecting Mr Hou's information confirmed in the national records of the Civil Administration Bureau that Mr Hou has never been legally married in this country before, nor has he had any foreign marriage recognised in this country."Turning to Hou Yi "Mr Hou, can you please confirm verbally that you have not been married in this country or in another country, and that there are no impediments for you to be legally married according to the law."
"I can confirm that I have not been married in this country or another country, and that there are no impediments for me to be legally married according to the law, " came Hou Yi's clear statement, and with that he turned and looked directly at Anna, and gave her a smile.
Official Song, continued "Miss Jones, I have from your Australian Embassy, issued the necessary paperwork for you to be married in this country. While, in most cases the omission of the name of your intended husband would mean that the paperwork is flawed, and you could not be married, we note that there is a letter from the Australia Embassy Official who processed your paperwork. Out of sight from this filming, contact has been made with the Official named in the document and the letter, and we have been able to confirm that Mr Hou did in fact meet briefly with the official, who is satisfied as to his identity, on the day in question, and that he was absent from the issuing of your certificate to enable marriage. Under the law, provided that the official issuing the marriage certificate is satisfied that the marriage partner of foreign national met with an embassy official from the foreign nation's embassy in this country, and that official is satisfied as to the identity of the marriage partner of the foreign national, the failure to have the details of the marriage partner for the foreign national in the certificate to enable marriage, can be excused, provided it is accompanied with a letter such as has been issued in this case. I am therefore satisfied that, in accordance with the law I can enable you, Miss Jones as a foreign national to marry here today in City T. The certificate confirms, in your case Miss Jones, that there is no registered marriage in Australia, or the existence of any known legal impediment to enable your marriage. Can you, Miss Jones please confirm that you have not been legally married in Australia or any other country and that there otherwise is no legal impediment for your marriage."
In a quiet, but firm voice, directly looking at Hou Yi, while answering Official song, Anna stated "I can confirm that I have not been legally married in accordance with the Laws of Australia or any other country and that there is no legal impediment to my marriage."
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