China has launched sweeping reforms marriage registration system

Report by Safarti Tarjuman International Desk

China has launched sweeping reforms to its marriage registration system, allowing couples to marry anywhere in the country without being bound by their household registration location.

Starting today, couples can register their marriages at any authorized registry office across mainland China. The new rules remove the decades-old requirement of presenting household registration books. Instead, applicants now only need to show valid ID cards and sign a declaration confirming they are unmarried and not closely related.

In Beijing, Qiao Lei and Tang Xin became one of the first couples to benefit from the reform. “It was fast and easy. We completed everything in just over 10 minutes,” said Tang, 33. “We now have more freedom to choose where we register our marriage.”

The updated policy applies to all couples within mainland China and extends to those involving a mainland resident and a partner from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, or overseas. These couples can now marry, divorce, or reapply for marriage certificates at any permitted registration office, regardless of their hukou (household registration).