Netizens wary of proposed marriage registration procedure

A recent move by authorities to simplify marriage registration procedures has sparked intense debate online.

According to the draft revisions to the marriage registration regulations released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Tuesday, applicants will no longer be required to submit hukou, or household registration documents, when applying for marriage certificates.

Instead, those who prepare for marriage will only have to present their ID cards and sign declarations confirming that they are not currently married or closely related.

The elimination of hukou, which contains detailed information such as marital status and family composition, as a mandatory document for obtaining marriage certificates has stirred concerns among internet users regarding identity theft and bigamy.

One user on the microblogging platform Sina Weibo questioned, "Without checking hukou, how can I verify my fiance's marital and parental status?" Another user expressed worry, stating, "Now I have to be more cautious about losing my ID card and unknowingly being married."

As of Thursday morning, the hashtag "marriage registration no longer requires hukou" became the most searched topic on Sina Weibo, garnering over 120 million views and nearly 35,000 comments.

The ministry published the draft revisions to the regulation on its website on Tuesday, soliciting opinions from all sectors of the society. The deadline for the public feedback is on Sept 11.

Many internet users perceive the proposal as an attempt by authorities to streamline marriage registration processes and address the declining marriage rate.

Data from the Ministry released this month revealed that only 3.43 million couples got married in the first half of this year, marking a 12.7 percent decrease from the previous year and hitting a record low.

Official figures show that new marriage registrations have been declining nationwide since peaking at 13.47 million in 2013.

The number fell below 10 million in 2019 and has since decreased by approximately 1 million annually, reaching just 6.83 million by the end of 2022.

However, there was a notable increase in new marriages registered last year after nine consecutive years of decline.

This uptick was attributed by observers to various factors, including the conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic and a cultural inclination to marry in auspicious years.