Wedding bells rang four times for a couple in April 2020, but it was not a sign of the bride and groom’s intense love — they just wanted to take a prolonged honeymoon. In Taiwan, labor laws provide newlyweds with an eight-day paid leave of absence. However, this couple found and exploited a loophole, as the law does not specify how many times a couple can get married and divorced to qualify for the leave.
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Taiwanese Couple Marries and Divorces Four Times to Extend Their Honeymoon
The couple got married four times and divorced three times during April and part of May: They married April 6, 2020, then divorced April 16. They married again on April 17 and divorced on April 28. Following the cycle, they married again on April 29 and divorced one more time on May 11. The couple’s lasting wedding day was May 12, 2020, according to the South China Morning Post. They enjoyed a 32-day honeymoon.
The groom worked at a bank before taking the leave. Once he finally returned, the bank refused his claim, so he took his case to the Taipei city labor department, which then fined the bank 20,000 New Taiwan dollars (about $710) for violating leave regulations. The labor department eventually revoked the fine in February and will look into the loophole to prevent other couples from abusing it.
“In this case, it is clear that the employee used the marriage leave and exploited a loophole to benefit from it. The laws exist for the benefit of the people, and people should not act in bad faith,” Taipei Deputy Mayor Huang Shanshan posted on Facebook.
The groom no longer works at the bank but remains married. 