International Marriage: What To Consider Before You Say “I Do”

Over eight percent of married couples in the United States included one partner who was born outside of the country.

If you’re planning an international marriage, there are lots of different factors to consider. Let’s go through what you need to know when you’re getting into an international marriage.

Know The Rules

International marriage laws can be tricky to navigate. So, it’s important to have yourself covered from a legal perspective. Visas will be a major factor to consider. You don’t want your spouse to get deported, or for you to get deported if you’re the one moving.

You should also educate yourself about divorce, just in case. You can read about foreign divorce so you know what to do if your marriage doesn’t work out.

Talk It Through

Like with any marriage, it’s very important for you and your partner to start off on the same page. So, you’ll need to discuss what you want out of your relationship very carefully. Talk about whether or not you want to have children before you tie the knot.

And, mixed marriages bring up even more questions. You’ll need to discuss how often you want to visit the country you won’t be residing in.

Traveling back and forth can be expensive, so you’ll need to talk about your income and budget. Financial concerns can really break a marriage.

This is also a good way for you to understand your personalities and how they mesh together. Particularly if you have been in a long-distance relationship, you may not truly know how you’ll interact with one another once you live with each other. So, talking about your approach to life is a good way to set yourself up for a happy and healthy marriage.

Cultural Differences

There may be cultural differences you may not have considered in your international marriage. Religion can play a huge role in that.

If you do plan to have children, you may have very different parenting strategies. Parenting culture differs a lot across borders. So, ensure that you get yourselves on the same page.

Gender roles are also something to consider. This is especially true when interacting with and talking about your lives with each other’s families. And, if you’re in a same-sex relationship, you’ll want to be careful about cultural norms. Some biases run deep, after all.

Families

You also need to think about how you approach your extended family when you’re in an international marriage. Different cultures spend more or less time with their extended family and interact with their family members in different ways. You may find that your international spouse interacts with their family on a daily basis, or they never talk to them at all.

International Marriage: Now You Know

Hopefully, you now have the means to make an educated decision about going forwards with your international marriage.

Are you searching for more advice on relationships, the law, and more? Take a look at a few of our other helpful posts.