Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, May 10 (Xinhua) — China’s revised Marriage Registration Regulations took effect Saturday, simplifying paperwork and giving couples more flexibility.
Under the new provisions, couples will no longer need to register their relationship at their place of residence or registration, which for many years was necessary to submit marriage applications.
Now, to formalize their relationship, couples from mainland China will only need identification cards and a signed statement saying they are not currently married to anyone and have no blood relatives within three generations to the other party.
In addition, under the new provisions, couples will be able to register their marriage at any relevant authority throughout the country, regardless of where their families are registered.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs said the change also applies to couples where one of the prospective spouses is a mainland Chinese resident and the other is a foreign national, a resident of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions, Taiwan, or a Chinese expatriate.
Currently, couples can marry, divorce or apply for re-issuance of marriage certificates at any authorized registration authority, regardless of the place of registration of the family of one of the spouses in the mainland part of the country.
The revised provisions are part of China’s efforts to streamline government services and ease the burden on those who live and work far from their place of residence.
According to official data, 1.81 million marriages were registered in China in the first quarter of this year, down 8 percent from a year earlier.
In 2023, the country saw an increase in registered marriages after nine consecutive years of decline. However, in 2024, the downward trend resumed, with registrations falling to their lowest level since 1980. -0-