Many men and women across China are marrying later in life, prompting provincial governments to adopt measures to reverse the trend, according to data released by civil affairs departments on Monday.
Haikou and Sanya have recently launched marriage registration appointment systems to prevent crowds as part of their COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.
A new policy that took effect on Jan 1 as part of China's Civil Code, means couples must wait 30 days after submitting a divorce application. During this period, either party can withdraw the divorce petition.
China will allow out-of-towners to register for marriage or file for divorce starting in June in a number of provinces, municipalities and provincial capitals, Ministry of Civil Affairs officials said Wednesday.
Marriage registration shall be in accordance with the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China, Regulations on Marriage Registration, and the Provisional Norms for Marriage Registration.
To apply for marriage registration, partners of the contemplated marriage shall appear together at the marriage registration office (Typically, marriage registration offices are only open Monday to Friday during certain hours, and are closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays).