China Justice Observer

中司观察

EnglishArabicChinese (Simplified)DutchFrenchGermanHindiItalianJapaneseKoreanPortugueseRussianSpanishSwedishHebrewIndonesianVietnameseThaiTurkishMalay

China’s Sichuan Lifts Restriction on Marital Status for Birth Registration to Ease Plummeting Birth Rate

Mon, 06 Mar 2023
Categories: China Legal Trends

On 29 Dec. 2022, the Sichuan provincial government issued the “Administrative Measures for Birth Registration Service in Sichuan Province” (四川省生育登记服务管理办法, hereinafter the “Measures”).

According to the Measures, all citizens who give birth to children shall register their birth. Besides, citizens shall get birth registrations before giving birth, and those who miss the registration are allowed to do so after childbirth.

The above requirement in the previous version of the Measures was stated as “couples shall get birth registrations before giving birth”. The change in the wording, from “couples” to “citizens”, is significant, as it has been officially confirmed that this change is a removal of the restriction that registrants must be married.

China’s population in 2022 has fallen for the first time in 60 years, with the national birth rate hitting a record low - 6.77 births per 1,000 people.

 

 

Cover Photo by 李大毛 没有猫 on Unsplash


Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team

Save as PDF

You might also like

China Eases Tax Refunds to Boost Inbound Tourist Spending

In 2025, China has lowered its departure tax refund threshold from 500 RMB to 200 RMB and doubled cash refund limits to 20,000 RMB while expanding eligible stores and streamlining processes, aiming to boost inbound tourism spending and promote Chinese products.

Chinese Courts Bolster Pregnant Workers' Rights Protection

In April 2025, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Supreme People's Court released typical labor dispute cases emphasizing stronger protection of pregnant employees' rights, including a case where unlawful job reassignment and salary reduction were ruled illegal.

China Revises Marriage Registration Regulation

China's revised marriage registration rules, effective May 2025, eliminate location restrictions, simplify procedures by removing hukou requirements, and align divorce processes with the Civil Code's cooling-off period.

China’s SPC Issues Foreign State Immunity Case Guidelines

In March 2025, China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) issued procedural guidelines for handling civil cases involving foreign state immunity, implementing the country's shift from absolute to restrictive immunity under the new Foreign State Immunity Law.

SPC Issues Prepaid Consumption Rules & Typical Cases

In March 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) issued a judicial interpretation and six guiding cases to tackle prepaid consumption disputes, invalidating unfair terms, protecting consumer refunds, and penalizing merchants who abscond with prepayments.

SPP Releases Guiding Cases on Civil Adjudication Supervision

In March 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) released new guiding cases to strengthen supervision over civil judgments, ensuring fairness and correcting errors in court rulings, covering disputes like private loans and traffic accidents.

First Tort Suit Under China’s Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law

In March 2025, China’s Supreme People’s Court (SPC) reported the first-ever tort suit under the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law, enabling a Chinese firm to recover over CNY 84 million after a European partner withheld payment invoking a third country’s sanctions.

ABLI-HCCH webinar: Cross-Border Commercial Dispute Resolution – Electronic Service of Documents and Remote Taking of Evidence (July 10, 2025)

The Asian Business Law Institute (ABLI) and the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) will host their fourth joint webinar on July 10, 2024 (5:00–6:10 PM SGT), focusing on electronic service of documents and remote taking of evidence under the Service and Evidence Conventions, featuring expert speakers, with an early bird discount available until June 10.