Ministry: E-version marriage certificate has no legal validity

The Ministry of Civil Affairs clarified that the e-version marriage certificate, introduced by Chinese payment giant Alipay, has no legal validity, Beijing Youth Daily reported.

On Aug 6, Alipay announced an e-version marriage certificate service had been launched in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Fujian and Chongqing. Married couples can get it by scanning their faces in the Alipay app.

Some new media accounts claimed it can be used for a wide range of purposes, including applying for housing loans, real estate transfers, inheritance, property notarization or children's admission to schools. Some even predicted paper marriage certificates will be replaced in the future.

A person in charge of the ministry's social affair division said the e-version marriage certificate is merely an “e-card” as a keepsake, and cannot replace the paper version. Some media's interpretations are the result of a misunderstanding.

Couples who want to get married or divorced still need to go to official bureaus carrying paper materials as required by the Act on Marriage Registration, the ministry said.