Shanghai smooths divorce procedure

Shanghai plans to introduce an online appointment booking service for people wanting a divorce, in a bid to make the process more organized and convenient for the growing number of couples in the city looking to end their marriages.

Since the launch of the amended Marriage Registration Regulation on Feb 1, an added procedure involving inquiries and questions has increased the length of the process to register for a divorce from around 25 to 35 minutes to a new time of between 45 and 55 minutes.

The extra time is down to the fact that couples must now talk to staff at the registration office separately to independently confirm their willingness to proceed and statements they have made.