China will pilot an inter-provincial arrangement to save its growing migrant population from having to return to their hometowns for marriage registration. 

The pilot will be first introduced in Liaoning, Shandong, Guangdong, Chongqing and Sichuan, among other provincial-level regions, from June 1, 2021 to May 31, 2023, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) announced on May 19.

Under current regulations, marriages must be registered within the household registration area of either the bride or groom. 

The change being trialed will enable people living outside their place of household registration to register their marriage in the areas where they have resided for a continuous period of at least six months, the ministry said.

An average of 10 million new marriages is registered annually in China, while nearly 4 million divorces are handled across the country, MCA statistics show.

The pilot regulation has become feasible thanks to the digitalization of the marriage registration system. A national marriage information database is now in place and can be shared between civil affairs departments across the country.

This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in Guancha.gmw.cn on May 20 

(Print Edition Title: Marriage Registration)