Getting married may soon become a much simpler matter in China. A draft amendment to the marriage registry regulations, which is awaiting final approval, has aroused great interest across the nation.

Two major changes are expected to be launched to adjust the present guidelines that require a couple to get their employers' approval and a physical checkup before tying the knot, a Ministry of Civil Affairs official said.

Coming from the ministry, the draft was accepted in principle by the State Council at the end of July and is awaiting final approval.

If the new regulation is endorsed, only identification cards and "Hukou" documents, or residence booklets, will be needed for both marriage and divorce.

Before, couples were required to present stamped documents from their employers, or from the neighbourhood committee if they were without a regular job, to prove their unmarried status.

The changes mean couples will have to affirm to their non-married status at registration.

And to prevent polygamy, civil affairs departments are expected to set up a giant database to keep track of marriage records.

This has been warmly welcomed by the public. Nearly 90 per cent of responds of a web survey conducted by Sina.com were in favour of doing away with employers' obligations.

However, abolishing the mandatory physical checkup has caused hot debate.

"A physical checkup before marriage is quite important to the couple's future happiness," said Meng Ren, a Beijing resident in her late 20s who got married six years ago.

But it is known that some hospitals use the checkup service to make money by usually providing nominal and less than reliable test results, said Chen Xinxin, a marriage and family expert with the All-China Women's Federation.

In addition, the checkup procedure is often regarded as an invasion of privacy.

Chen said although it may not continue to be a mandatory step in the future, it does not mean a couple cannot get a checkup done on their own free will.

The present checkup stipulates that people with certain illnesses cannot get married.

However, there is no medical reason that should disqualify people from marriage, even they are HIV/AIDS carriers, Chen argues.

The new regulation is expected to put the emphasis on "mutual knowledge and mutual willingness" to let individuals decide for themselves what is in their best interests, Chen said.

However, the new registry procedure is not expected to cause a marriage boom.

Many young people are choosing to get married later, in addition to cohabitation and celibacy, which are both on the rise, Chen said.

The number of people registering for marriage in China has decreased steadily over the past five years, latest statistics from the All-China Women's Federation show.

In 1998, 8.92 million couples registered at marriage offices across the country, but the figure dropped to 7.86 million last year.

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