Hebei woman Ms. Wang discovered half a year ago that her identity card number had been used by someone else to register a marriage, and she has been fighting for her rights ever since but has been unable to dissolve the marriage registration.
According to reports from mainland Caixin Net and Southern Weekend, on the afternoon of November 12th last year, Ms. Wang received a call from the Duanjia Police Station in Fufeng County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, stating that her identity card number had been used by someone else to marry a local man and they had a 12-year-old son.
Initially, Ms. Wang thought it was a scam phone call, but later when she checked online government platforms, she found out that she was indeed in a married status, with the marriage taking place on October 30, 2013.
The other party holding the marriage certificate, Mr. Zan, introduced to Caixin Net that around 2009 to 2010, he was working in Beijing and met Wang F, who was working as a waitress near Wangfujing food street. After dating, the two got engaged and married in 2013. When their child was just over two years old, his wife said she wanted to visit her parents in her hometown, but never returned.
Mr. Zan went to Wang F’s hometown to look for her, but couldn’t find her. It wasn’t until November 2025 that he decided he couldn’t wait any longer and wanted to file for divorce. So, he reported to the local police station that the person was missing and they found out about Ms. Wang.
After discovering she had been “married,” Ms. Wang reported the situation to the police station in Fufeng County. The police believed that “Wang F” held the household register and corresponding ID from Tang County in Hebei, which is also Ms. Wang’s hometown. It was likely due to a clerical error in handling documents in the household registration place, so they suggested she go to the local police station.
On November 17, 2025, Ms. Wang returned to her hometown and inquired about household registration information at the Wangjing Police Station. However, the personnel in the household registration department told her that they did not have jurisdiction, and suggested she go to Shaanxi to report the case.
After legal consultation, Ms. Wang learned that she could also report the case in her place of residence. Two days later, she went to the Daoudian Police Station of Fangshan Sub-bureau of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau to report the case. The next day, she received a notice of administrative case filing. However, a month later when she inquired about the progress at the police station, the investigating officer told her that the sub-bureau did not have jurisdiction over the case, and they had only accepted the case but did not register it.
In addition to reporting to the public security authorities, Ms. Wang also tried seeking help from the civil affairs and judicial departments. However, the staff at the marriage registration office of the civil affairs bureau told her that she was not the person who registered the marriage and had no right to request the cancellation of the marriage registration, and that evidence materials from the public security, judicial, and other departments were required for processing.
Ms. Wang was not satisfied and applied for administrative reconsideration to the Fufeng County government, requesting the civil affairs bureau to fulfill its legal obligations within a time limit. The person in charge of the administrative reconsideration stated that since the marriage registration act had exceeded the 5-year maximum limit specified in the administrative reconsideration regulations, they could not accept it.
After several months of unsuccessful efforts to safeguard her rights, on February 2, 2026, Ms. Wang brought the civil affairs bureau to court, seeking a court order to cancel her marriage registration with Mr. Zan. On February 12, the Meixian Court made a ruling of non-registration, stating that Ms. Wang should first apply for administrative reconsideration, and if she disagreed with the reconsideration, then she could file an administrative lawsuit with the court.
Not satisfied with the Meixian Court ruling, Ms. Wang appealed the case to the Intermediate People’s Court of Baoji City. On May 19th, Ms. Wang received an administrative decision from Baoji Intermediate Court. The document indicated that the administrative ruling rejecting the registration of the Meixian Court was revoked, and instructed the court to register the case.
Ms. Wang said that after six months of fighting for her rights, she had exhausted her energy, and whether it is the police investigation or administrative litigation, she only hopes for a quick resolution. Currently, she is still waiting for the outcome.