China had eased marriage registration for expatriates, allowing them to register their marriages on the Chinese mainland, the Daily Sunshine reported Monday.

The new measure was included in 10 amendments recently promulgated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. In the past, only a couple with at least one Chinese citizen could be legally registered as husband and wife on the mainland.

The new amendments also allow people who are serving sentences to register marriages, and allow people to divorce without marriage certificates if their marriage certificates have been lost.

(Shenzhen Daily May 11, 2004)