Marriage registration to be easier, more flexible in China

BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Marriage registration in China is expected to require fewer documents and offer more flexibility in registration locations, according to a new draft revision.

Under the new draft, mainland couples will only need their identification cards and a signed declaration stating that they are not currently married and have no blood relationship within three generations with the other party to register their marriage.

Currently, individuals also need to bring their resident household registration books for marriage registration.

This will be the first revision to the marriage registration ordinance since it was enacted in 2003. The public is invited to offer their opinions on the draft via the Ministry of Civil Affairs' official website, email, or by mail until Sept. 11.

The revised draft also lifts the restriction on the marriage registration locations. At present, couples are required to go to the marriage registration offices within the regions of their permanent residence to complete the procedure.

Many netizens have praised the change for improving efficiency. One comment left on the Sina Weibo platform was a complaint about the trouble a man experienced when he tried to obtain his resident household registration page from his employer's collective registration book.

Official data shows that 3.43 million couples registered their marriage in the first half of this year, which is half of the figure from the same period in 2014.

Experts have attributed the decline to a shrinking population of eligible individuals, shifting attitudes toward marriage and financial concerns.

More youngsters choose to postpone marriage until they are personally ready, said Zhou Haiwang, a researcher with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

Meanwhile, the draft revision also introduced a 30-day "cooling-off period" for divorce, during which either party may withdraw their application if they do not wish to proceed. Marriage registration offices should then terminate the divorce process, said the document.