On August 13, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs announced on its website the “Marriage Registration Regulations (Draft for Soliciting Opinions),” which stipulates that household registration is no longer required for marriage and divorce registrations, sparking discussions among internet users.
According to the draft regulations, both marriage and divorce registrations no longer necessitate a household registration, and the previous territorial jurisdiction requirements for registration have been abolished. Mainland residents only need to present their resident identity card, a declaration stating that they are not married, and that they have no direct blood relationship or collateral blood relationship within three generations with the other party.
Regarding divorce procedures, according to Article 13 of the draft, mainland residents seeking a divorce must sign a written divorce agreement and apply for divorce together at the marriage registration office. Those who fail to reach a divorce agreement will not be accepted.
Articles 16 and 17 further stipulate that within 30 days of submitting a divorce registration application, if either party is unwilling to divorce, they can withdraw the application. Moreover, if within 30 days after the deadline, both parties do not jointly apply for a divorce certificate at the marriage registration office, it will be considered as withdrawing the divorce registration application.
The news quickly became a hot topic on Weibo. Prior to this, the debate over whether marriage registration should require a household registration had trended multiple times. In July 2023, some internet users argued that the current requirement for providing a household registration for marriage registration was unreasonable and contradicted the principle of “marriage freedom” as stated in the constitution, suggesting a revision of this regulation.
In response, the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ Social Affairs Department explained that providing a household registration is to clarify the jurisdiction of marriage registration, prevent issues such as bigamy, and protect the rights of the parties involved, which is not contradictory to the freedom of marriage.
This latest amendment proposal by the Ministry of Civil Affairs has sparked heated discussions online. Some internet users demanded: “First, explain the reasons for requiring the household registration.”
Many also expressed frustration, pointing out, “Our country invents the most tedious and useless procedures, under the guise of management, doing tasks with no value.” Others criticized the Ministry of Civil Affairs for its long-standing negligence, stating, “Corrupt officials can remarry multiple times without a problem, as there is no nationwide connection system.”
“The most critical issue is with women who are abducted – they can get married without a household registration, making it difficult to convict those involved in human trafficking even if they are caught by the police. Although the women are victims of abduction, their marital status provides various leniencies and lighter punishments for the criminals.”
Some directly criticized the authorities, saying, “Things they want you to do can skip essential documents, while things they don’t want you to do involve endless processes, queues, and delays… do not need notary fees? Making money is indeed easy.”