On the 14th, the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh issued a statement reminding Chinese citizens to be cautious when seeking marriage in Bangladesh.
Recently, several Chinese citizens have been involved in foreign marriage fraud cases in Bangladesh. After in-depth communication with the Bangladeshi Immigration Bureau and verification of relevant information, the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh reminds Chinese citizens to pay attention to the following matters:
I. The Bangladeshi Immigration Bureau strictly cracks down on criminal activities such as human trafficking and child marriages. Strict exit checks are carried out on women of marriageable age from the country. If a man enters the country with a short-term visa, such as a visa on arrival, and marries a Bangladeshi woman without the knowledge of her relatives and community leaders, if she has multiple previous marriages, if she cannot clearly explain the reason for her departure, or if neither the man nor the woman can provide evidence of their acquaintance and life experiences, the Bangladesh Immigration Bureau will conduct thorough checks. If the check fails, the Bangladesh Immigration Bureau will temporarily restrict the woman’s exit and initiate investigations. Do not easily believe scammers who claim to “sponsor” people through illegal intermediaries. If you have doubts about the enforcement actions of the Bangladesh Immigration Bureau, please file an administrative appeal through the official channels of the Bangladesh Immigration Bureau. Address: Room 218, Immigration Admin Control Section, Special Branch Headquarters, Malibagh, Dhaka-1217, Telephone: 00880-1320007551.
II. The Ministry of Immigration strictly prohibits internal staff from abusing their power for personal gain. Chinese citizens who encounter immigration officials soliciting bribes or hinting at such requests, or those who recruit “business partners” by offering benefits, are urged to immediately record the time, location, participants, flight number, and other relevant information and report this to the Ministry of Immigration. Additionally, they should inform the embassy.
III. The unique website for displaying Apostille certification in Myanmar is: apostille.mygov.bd. This website has no extensions. If you see a website with extensions such as .com after scanning the QR code, it indicates that the certification is forged. According to Myanmar's criminal law, those who possess or use forged documents can be sentenced to 7 years in prison and fined. Do not easily believe scams involving illegal marriage agencies or fees for obtaining certifications. To avoid legal liability, if you encounter any acts of forging documents, you should report it to the police immediately.
IV. Do not blindly trust illegal matchmaking services, and do not conceal travel information by pasting them onto visa stickers. Visa stickers are an important part of the document. Removing and re-pasting them without permission will damage their anti-counterfeiting features and may cause the passport to be damaged. Once the immigration department detects any abnormalities, further verification measures will be taken. The parties involved will face penalties such as being detained for inspection, being denied boarding, and being refused entry.
V. Persons who marry through illegal matchmaking services may be arrested for suspected human trafficking. According to the Ministry of Justice’s Criminal Code and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Law, those who organize human trafficking shall be sentenced to imprisonment of more than seven years, life imprisonment, or even death penalty, and may also be fined over 500,000 Taka. Those who instigate, plan, commit, or assist in committing human trafficking shall be sentenced to imprisonment of more than three years and less than seven years, and may also be fined less than 20,000 Taka. Do not trust the cross-border matchmaking and dating advertisements offered by various platforms. Cross-border marriages should be based on mutual consent and genuine feelings. “Buying marriages” can easily lead to issues such as human trafficking, economic extortion, and physical threats, resulting in criminal activities, personal injury, and property loss. If you encounter matchmaking scams, you should report it to the police immediately.
