Registration rules eased to encourage marriages

China has revised its marriage registration rules, reducing paperwork and giving couples more flexibility to choose where to register their unions as part of a wider push to encourage more young people to tie the knot.

The new regulations, the first since the marriage registration ordinance was enacted in 2003, will take effect on May 10.

Under the new rules, mainland couples will only need their identification cards and a signed declaration affirming they are not currently married and are not closely related by blood within three generations to register their marriages. Previously, they also had to present their household registration books.