Couples in Macao who are looking to get married now have fewer hurdles to clear following the implementation of the revised Civil Registration Code yesterday, which introduces a host of measures to streamline the procedures.
Under the amended law, couples will be able to register for marriage online using a new “Marriage in One Step” service that will be introduced to the Macao One Account application this August. The new move is intended to remove some steps that applicants previously had to go through, which included personally submitting documents to the Civil Registration Bureau, as well as finalising their marriage in-person at the department.
According to Wong Iok Mui, a representative of the Civil Registration Bureau, the completed online application “will be approved within five working days,” after which the couple can choose the date of their marriage within a 90-day period.
[See more: Young Macao residents don’t care much about marriage or child rearing, surrey finds]
The digitalisation of the marriage process extends to the signing of marriage documents and allows private notaries to officiate weddings at any appropriate location of the couple’s choosing.
Speaking to local media, Wong said that the introduction of private notaries will be of great convenience to many Macao residents who prefer to combine their wedding ceremony and banquet into one event, which allows them to avoid “going to two places on the same day.”
The push to make it easier to get married comes as experts sound the alarm over Macao’s ageing population and call on the government to instil positive views of marriage and childrearing in younger generations.
