Simplified Marriage Process in China: Draft Regulations Aim to Boost Declining Rates

Simplifying Marriage in China: Draft Regulations m to Boost Falling Rates

China's Ministry of Civil Affrs has introduced draft regulations that seek to simplify the marriage registration process, sparking a heated discussion on social media platforms like Weibo. The changes target several aspects including reducing the number and type of documents required from couples wishing to tie the knot, as well as eliminating geographical constrnts for where marriages can take place.

In an effort to stimulate its declining marriage rate, these proposed reforms are designed to make matrimonial union more accessible for young Chinese citizens. In the first half of 2024, only 3.43 million new marriages were registered, marking a significant decline by nearly half a million compared to the same period in 2023.

Under the revised rules, Chinese citizens will be able to register their marriage using just a photo ID and an attestation stating that they are unmarried and do not share close blood relations with their partner. A key change is the removal of the requirement for couples to provide their household registration certificate, or hukou. This document traditionally stands as a safeguard for parents who might want to prevent their children from getting married.

Critically, this move would eliminate an obstacle where parents could refuse to hand over the household registration certificate, thus preventing their child's marriage if they were opposed. The draft regulations also appear to remove geographical restrictions on where marriages can be registered, potentially allowing citizens to marry in any part of China without geographical constrnts.

The Chinese government has been advocating for more liberal inter-provincial marriage registrations since 2021, with various provinces including Beijing, Tianjin, and Inner Mongolia piloting programs that permit this cross-region process. The draft regulations are set to formalize these practices.

On social media platforms like Weibo, the proposal has ignited considerable attention, amassing over 380 million views for a related hashtag.

Many users have prsed the reforms as progress in favor of couples' rights but also rsed concerns that parents' opinions might be dismissed and impulsive marriages could increase. Children may marry secretly without their parent's consent, one blogger with millions of followers lamented.

Some netizens are advocating for similar measures to simplify divorce processes, noting that China’s new Civil Code introduced a mandatory 30-day cooling-off period after divorce applications were filed in 2021.

Ye Mingyi, an expert specializing in family law at the Shangh University of Finance and Economics, explned these reforms as part of the government's efforts to digitize services for convenience. ID cards have now transitioned digitally with nationwide connectivity, timely updates, and comprehensive information, Ye stated. In contrast, household registration remns in paper form, lagging behind digital age needs.

In , China's Ministry of Civil Affrs' proposed reforms on marriage registration signal a significant shift towards simplifying and digitizing services for citizens. The draft regulations m to foster more accessible and fluid matrimonial unions while addressing longstanding issues around parental control over children’s marriages and geographical constrnts on registering weddings.

Sources:

• Weibo Chinese microblogging platform

• Shangh University of Finance and Economics

• Sixth Tone
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