Is there any legal way to have two wives in the US or is it legal to have one wife in America and one in a foreign country?

Answer 1

Bigamy in the United States has been illegal since the mid-1800s (both in federal and all state/territory laws). There are NO possible ways to be considered legally married to more than one spouse while being a resident (or citizen) of the USA, under US law. US citizens may NEVER marry more than one spouse, regardless of which country they (or their spouses) live in. If they do so, they commit the crime of bigamy, and can be prosecuted as soon as they return to US jurisdiction, even though the "crime" was committed elsewhere.

That said, certain other countries recognize plural marriage (i.e. having more than one spouse). Citizens of those countries who travel to US jurisdictions are NOT guilty of bigamy if they are married to multiple spouses. The US simply considered all marriages after the 1st spouse to be invalid, and treats all those additional spouses as non-immediate-family relatives.

Remember that many foreign marriages are NOT automatically recognized by the US as valid. Particularly those when one party is a minor (generally, under 16 will be highly suspect), or the US courts determine is the result of a forced marriage (i.e. where the spouse did not give independent consent to the marriage). Those engaging in these unrecognized marriage may be subject to criminal prosecution for various offenses that would not otherwise be applicable to a married couple (e.g. statutory rape, kidnapping, illegal transportation of a minor, etc.).

Also, remember that if you get married outside the US, you will need to provide the official marriage documents issued to the newly married by the local officials who oversaw the marriage. In simple terms, in order for a marriage to be recognized by the US, you will at least have to show the local equivalent of a marriage license (properly attested to and signed) when returning to the USA.

Answer 2

No. Polygamy is illegal in the United States. You cannot have more than one wife at a time. In many states, it is illegal to have a romantic relationship or cohabit with more than one woman at a time, regardless of whether or not you participated in an actual marriage ceremony.

Answer 3

That's called comitting adultery, stay with one wife.