This article may be a rough translation from Chinese. It may have been generated, in whole or in part, by a computer or by a translator without dual proficiency. (April 2023) |
The People's Republic of China Marriage Certificate (Chinese: 中华人民共和国结婚证) is a legal document issued by the Chinese Marriage Registration Authority to prove the valid establishment of a marriage. Two marriage certificates are issued for both parties of the marriage.[1]
Appearance
editThe format of the marriage certificate is uniformly formulated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The marriage certificate must be affixed with a photo of both men and women, and validated by a stamp for marriage registration. It also contains the couple's names and identity information. It's about the size of the palm,and the cover is in maroon.[2]
History
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Before 1980
editThe practice of issuing official marriage certificates in China originated in the Qing Dynasty. The newlywed couples would collect their certificate from the county Yamen, the certificate includes the names and ages of the couple, as well as names of the officiant and the matchmaker, the official seal is stamped to legitimate the marriage.[3]
The Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China was implemented on May 1, 1950. Among them, Article 6 stipulates: "Both parties to the marriage should go to the local (district, township) people's government to register in person. For marriages that comply with the provisions of this law, the local people's government shall immediately issue a marriage certificate. Any marriage not in conformity with the provisions of this law shall not be registered. " and "After divorce, if both parties voluntarily restore the marital relationship, they should register with the district people's government for restoration of marriage.The district people's government shall register and issue a resumed marriage certificate."[4]
After the promulgation of the "Marriage Registration Measures" in 1955, marriage certificates were printed by county and municipal governments independently, their forms and specifications varied greatly, lacking a unified standard, and most adopted the style of a certificate of merit. From the 1950s to the 1970s, the decorative patterns on marriage certificates included traditional auspicious patterns such as mandarin ducks playing in the water and plum blossoms, as well as new patterns such as rice ears, cotton, and doves of peace. Slogans are often printed on marriage certificates, such as "Marriage is voluntary" in the 1950s, "diligence and thrift, family planning" in the 1970s and 1980s. During the Cultural Revolution, they frequently featured Chairman Mao's portrait or quotations.[5][6]
1980 to 1986
editOn November 11, 1980, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China officially issued a new, implemented "Marriage Registration Measures". Under the new "Marriage Registration Measures," the responsibility for printing marriage certificates has been centralized to the provincial, autonomous regional levels, ensuring a higher degree of standardization in their format.[7]
With the reform and opening up, marriage certificates have taken on a more formal legal character, resembling passports in their appearance.
1986 to 1994
editOn March 15, 1986, a new "Marriage Registration Measures" issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs replaced the last one.[8] Therefore, since 1986, the Ministry of Civil Affairs standardized the format of marriage certificates, while the printing was decentralized to provincial and municipal authorities.[9][10]
1994 to 2003
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The "Marriage Registration Management Regulations" were promulgated and came into effect on February 1, 1994, replacing the "Marriage Registration Measures" which had been in force since March 1986.[11]
Starting in 1994, China implemented a standardized marriage certificate design under the supervision of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The new certificate resembled a passport with a red cover and gold lettering.[12][13]
Since 2003
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Starting from October 1, 2003, the new "Marriage Registration Regulations" came into effect, replacing the "Marriage Registration Management Regulations" that had been in force since 1994. [14]
On July 1, 2004, China introduced a new version of the marriage certificate. Both the new marriage certificate and divorce certificate have maroon covers, marking a change from the previous design where marriage certificates had red covers and divorce certificates had green covers since 1994. The marriage certificate cover has gold lettering, while the divorce certificate cover has silver lettering. Both certificates are supervised by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
The certificate incorporates a peony flower pattern and utilizes advanced banknote printing technology to significantly enhance its security features and prevent counterfeiting. [15][16]
After 2004, the Ministry of Civil Affairs undertook a project to connect all marriage registration systems across the country. In early 2010, pilot marriage registration networking was started in Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces. In June 2010, Shandong Province uniformly adopted the new version of certificate and upgraded the registration system throughout the province, the marriage registration network in Shandong Province launched in September of the same year. [17]
Starting from September 2018, married couples residing in Jiangsu can obtain a digital equivalent of their physical marriage certificate through the "Jiangsu Government" mini-program on Alipay with just a facial scan.[18] Starting from August 2019, this service has been extended to Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, and Chongqing.[19]
Registration requirements
editStatutory conditions for obtaining a marriage certificate: Both parties are voluntary, have no spouse, the male is over 22 years old and the female is over 20 years old, both parties are not lineal blood relatives, not collateral blood relatives within the third generation, and there is no disease that medically believes should not be married.[20]
The Chinese "Marriage Law" advocates the freedom of marriage, but with the following conditions. According to China's laws and regulations, at least the following types of individuals are not eligible for marriage:[21]
(1) A person who has been married to a third party, and the marriage has not been terminated. When such a person gets married, he commits the crime of bigamy.
(2) Those who are below the age of marriage: men are earlier than 22 years old, and women are earlier than 20 years old.
(3) Suffering from a physical defect that prevents marriage. Marriage is prohibited for persons who have not been cured of leprosy or who suffer from other diseases that are medically considered inappropriate for marriage.
(4) It is also not allowed to marry relatives who have direct blood relatives and collateral blood relatives within three generations, which is usually referred to as consanguineous marriage. This violates the principle of eugenics advocated by our country.
(5) It does not mean that people who are incapacitated cannot get married, but it must be explained to the other party in advance. If you conceal this situation and marry the other party, which leads to a breakdown of the relationship between the husband and wife, one party requests a divorce, and the divorce shall be granted.
Process
editBoth men and women comply with the provisions of the Marriage Law, and the procedures for obtaining a marriage certificate can be divided into three steps: application, review and registration:[22]
(1) Application. Both men and women who want to get married must hold their household registration certificate, resident ID card, and a signed statement that they have no spouse and no direct blood relatives or collateral blood relatives within three generations of the other party. Apply for marriage registration at the marriage registration office where one party's household registration is located. Both men and women must be present when applying for registration. If you are divorced, you should also hold a divorce certificate. In the place where prenuptial examination is carried out, the certificate of prenuptial examination from the hospital should also be held.
(2) Review. The registration authority may, when necessary, require the parties to provide relevant certification materials, conduct necessary investigations, or designate items for medical identification when examining the marriage applications of both parties.
(3) Registration. After examination, the marriage registration authority shall approve the registration and issue a marriage certificate if it considers that the marriage conditions are met. If the marriage registration authority refuses to register, it shall issue a written statement explaining the reasons for the refusal.[23]
See Also
editReferences
edit- ^ "结婚证" [Marriage Certificate].
- ^ "中国各个时期的结婚证都在这里！来看看哪个最美" [Marriage certificates of all periods in China are here! Let's see which is the most beautiful]. 腾讯新闻. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
- ^ "湖南电子结婚证都来了，历代结婚证你全见过吗？". hn.rednet.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-09-27.
- ^ "新中国第一部《婚姻法》_国史网". hprc.cssn.cn. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
- ^ "中国结婚证的历史变迁：从"薄纸片"到护照式，新浪网，2003年11月22日" [The Historical Changes of Chinese Marriage Certificates: From "Tissue Paper" to Passport-style, Sina.com, November 22, 2003].
- ^ "三十年，结婚证的变化，萧山网，2008年11月29日" [Thirty years, changes in marriage certificates, Xiaoshan.com, November 29, 2008].
- ^ "新婚姻登记条例该如何变法" [How to change the new marriage registration regulations].
- ^ "中华人民共和国民政部令（第１号）《婚姻登记管理条例》" [Order of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China (No. 1) "Regulations on the Administration of Marriage Registration"].
- ^ "民政部关于统一制发婚姻证件式样的通知" [Notice of the Ministry of Civil Affairs on the unified preparation and issuance of marriage certificates].
- ^ "民政部办公厅关于制发《结婚证》等统一式样的函，法律图书馆，于2013-05-05查阅" [Letter of the General Office of the Ministry of Civil Affairs on the issuance of uniform formats such as the "Marriage Certificate", Law Library, reviewed on 2013-05-05].
- ^ "婚姻登记管理条例，法律图书馆" [Regulations on the Administration of Marriage Registration, Law Library].
- ^ "三十年，结婚证的变化" [Thirty years, the change of marriage certificate].
- ^ "结婚证几经"变脸" 见证共和国60年变迁" [The marriage certificate "changes face" several times to witness the changes of the Republic in 60 years].
- ^ "婚姻登记条例". www.gov.cn. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- ^ "城关区启用新版结婚证 60对新人喜捧新证" [Chengguan District opens a new version of the marriage certificate 60 couples are happy to hold the new certificate.].
- ^ "结婚证离婚证同色避免歧义" [Marriage certificate and divorce certificate are the same color to avoid ambiguity].
- ^ "青岛启用新版结婚证 将全省联网对重婚说不" [Qingdao launches new version of marriage certificate，Networking the province to say no to bigamy].
- ^ "江苏夫妻可在支付宝刷脸领电子结婚证" [Jiangsu couples can receive electronic marriage certificates by swiping their faces on Alipay].
- ^ "支付宝上线电子结婚证 支持5省市"刷脸"领取" [Alipay launches electronic marriage certificate to support "face brushing" collection in 5 provinces and cities].
- ^ "结婚证领取条件包括哪些" [What are the conditions for obtaining a marriage certificate?].
- ^ "在我国哪些人不能进行结婚登记" [Who can't get married in our country?].
- ^ "办理结婚登记的程序有哪些？" [What are the procedures for marriage registration?].
- ^ "异地结婚证办理流程是什么？" [What is the process for obtaining a marriage certificate in another country?].