With the approval of the State Council, the “cross-provincial marriage registration” in Shanghai was launched today! In 21 pilot municipalities directly under the central government and provinces, such as Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin, couples without local hukous can apply for marriage registration at their place of residence if one party holds a residence permit of the city. On June 1st, Baoshan had the first batch of “couples registered on a cross-provincial basis”.

Ma Xiaolin with a Shandong household registration and Shi Qi with a Shenzhen household registration, who began their love story on university campus, decided to register for marriage after working and living in Shanghai for five years after graduation. At 8:30 in the morning, Shi Qi and Ma Xiaolin came to Baoshan District Marriage Registration Office located on Zhangling Road, which is the nearest to their residence. Their joy was beyond words: “We are both childlike, so we chose to register for marriage on Children’s Day. I didn’t expect that we would be the first among more than 70 couples registered on a cross-provincial basis in Baoshan District Marriage Registration Office! We’re really surprised and happy to be so lucky!”

It turns out that neither of the newly-weds has a Shanghai hukou. If one party holds a residence permit of Shanghai, they can apply for marriage registration at any district-level marriage registration office in 16 districts of Shanghai from June 1st. When it shows Passed as the staff clicks the “Residence Permit Inspection” button on the computer screen, the system automatically selects Cross-provincial Office or City-wide Office based on the household registration address of the soon-to-be-married couple. After waiting for less than 5 minutes, Shi Qi and Ma Xiaolin got their little red books full of happiness. Ma Xiaolin, the groom, said, “We are both office workers. We will have to ask for a leave when going back to our hometown for the wedding ceremony. It saved us much time and money as we could get the registration done here while avoiding the need for an additional leave.”

To apply for “cross-provincial marriage registration”, the soon-to-be-married couple need to bring their original ID cards, original household registration books and at least one Shanghai residence permit within the validity period. The deputy director of Baoshan District Marriage Registration Office told the reporter: “At present, you can make an appointment online, by telephone or on-site. It should be reminded that you need to make an appointment one day in advance if you do it online. However, cross-provincial registration are not applicable for some cases. For example, the replacement of marriage registration certificate, marriage registration involving Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, overseas Chinese and foreigners, including the inquiry of marriage registration files, and the issuance of “(no) marriage registration record certificate” cannot be dealt with on a cross-provincial basis at present.”

The reporter learned that on the first day of the launch of the cross-provincial marriage registration, Baoshan District Marriage Registration Office has received nearly 60 couples’ online appointments and telephone consultations for cross-provincial registration. “Providing government services on a cross-provincial basis in China, a country with people on the move is a direct manifestion of the application of a people-centered development philosophy.”

Regarding the frequently asked questions of “cross-provincial registration”, the staff of Baoshan District Marriage Registration Office answered as follows:

Q: I am from Shandong and hold a Shanghai residence permit. My girlfriend is also not from Shanghai and does not have a Shanghai residence permit. We live in Baoshan. Can we register for marriage in Shanghai?

A: Yes. From June 1, 2023, for couple registrants neither with Shanghai hukou, as long as one party holds a Shanghai residence permit, they can apply for marriage registration at any district-level marriage registration authority in this city with the residence permit, paper residence booklets and ID cards of both parties.

Q: What documents and materials do we need to carry for marriage registration?

A: Both parties need to carry the original valid resident ID card and original valid residence booklet; three 2-inch recent photos of both parties bareheaded; If neither party has a Shanghai hukou, they shall also show the original valid Shanghai residence permit of one party.

Q: The original hukou booklet is in my hometown. Can I show my electronic license for marriage registration?

A: At present, residents with a Shanghai hukou can use their ID cards and electronic licenses of residence booklet according to the relevant regulations of “two exemptions from submission”. If neither party has a Shanghai hukou, they can use an electronic residence permit, while they still need to provide physical ID card and residence booklet, when handling marriage registration. That is to say, you must provide your ID card and hukou booklet.

Q: My residence permit is about to expire. If it has expired when I come to apply, can I still apply for marriage registration?

A: According to the Measures of Shanghai Municipality on the Administration of Residence Permits, the residence permit submitted by the parties should be within the validity period. If the residence permit is about to expire, you can go through the endorsement formalities at the Community Affairs Service Center within 30 days before the expiration. If the residence permit has expired, you can also go through the endorsement formalities at the Community Affairs Service Center before going through the marriage registration at any district-level marriage registration authority in Shanghai.

Q: How to make an appointment for marriage registration?

A: At present, you can make an appointment online, by telephone or on-site. It should be reminded that if you make an online appointment, you need to make an appointment one day in advance in Suishenban APP, Shanghai Civil Affairs WeChat official account “People Service”, “Marriage Registration Appointment” in Alipay APP, etc.

Q: What is the business time of marriage registration authorities in each district?

A: The marriage registration offices handle marriage registration from 9:00 to 11:00 or 8:30 to 11:00, and 13:30 to 16:30 or 13:00 to 16:00 from Monday to Saturday.

Q: What are the reception telephone numbers of marriage registration authorities in each district? I may have to make a phone call for some details.

A: Please see the following table for the addresses and reception telephone numbers of the marriage registration authorities for mainland residents.