Shanghai to implement "cross-province" marriage and divorce registration in June

Shanghai will implement "cross-province" marriage and divorce registration beginning Thursday, the city's civil affairs authorities announced on Monday.

Under the reform, even if none of the couple has a Shanghai hukou, or household registration, they can still marry or divorce in the city if either the bridegroom or the bride hosts a temporary residence permit, or juzhuzheng of the city.

Moreover, they can draw the marriage or divorce certificate at any of the 16 marriage registration centers in the city, according to the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau.

However, the practice only covers residents on the Chinese mainland at present.

In total, 21 provinces, autonomous region and municipalities have been included in the trial by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of China. Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Fujian are some on the list.