Transnational marriage

An international marriage, or transnational marriage, is a marriage between two people from different countries. A variety of special issues arise in marriages between people from different countries, including those related to citizenship and culture, which add complexity and challenges to these kinds of relationships.

Culture and language differences are often encountered as obstacles, although there are exceptions. Where ethnic groups are divided between multiple sovereign states (irredentism or stateless nations) or places which once shared common citizenship are separated by borders of newly-independent nations (decolonisation), transnational marriages do not necessarily infer different cultures.

In an age of increasing globalization, where a growing number of people have ties to networks of people and places across the globe, rather than to a current geographic location, people are increasingly marrying across national boundaries. Transnational marriage is a by-product of the movement and migration of people.

Transnational marriage may occur when someone from one country visits or lives in another country for school, work, political asylum, refuge, or due to their family relocating.

In general terms, reasons for transnational marriage include:

Obstacles to transnational marriage include:

In some cases, an ethnic group has no difference in culture or language but is artificially divided for geopolitical reasons. Places which once shared common nationality may have lost this status to decolonisation, but still share language or other identifiers.

In these cases, cultural or language barriers do not apply, aside from the possibility of dealing with the influence of a distinct dominant culture of the host country or countries. Depending on the countries, there may still be major issues in terms of legal status.

In more ancient times, some marriages between distinctly different tribes and nations were due to royalty trying to form alliances with or to influence other kingdoms or to dissuade marauders or slave traders. More recently, transnational marriages are due to globalization, with migration of labor, increased communication, and many more situations where foreigners come into contact with each other. It is also more common in some areas where class and tribal separations are becoming less strict. If one shares values that transcend culture, then it is easier to get married across cultures.

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