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notices on the first day of the notice-giving period booked their appointments through the system.
The Registrar of Marriages is also responsible for issuing Certificates of Absence of Marriage Records. During the year, 15 701 such certificates were issued.
The Marriage (Introduction of Civil Celebrants of Marriages and General Amendments) Bill to authorise the Civil Celebrants of Marriages Scheme was passed by the Legislative Council on November 16, 2005. Under the ordinance, civil celebrants of marriages can be appointed to celebrate marriages at any time and place other than the marriage registries and licensed places of public worship in Hong. Kong. It is expected that the first batch of civil celebrants will be appointed in the second quarter of 2006.
Births and Deaths
Birth and death registrations in Hong Kong are governed by the Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance. Parents must report the birth of their child in Hong Kong to the Registrar of Births and Deaths within 42 days and the birth can be registered without any fee. A fee is charged if the birth is registered after 42 days and not later than one year. Registration beyond 12 months after the birth of the child requires the consent of the registrar. During the year, 51 births were post-registered. There are four district birth registries providing birth registration service to the public.
Deaths from natural causes should be registered by relatives within 24 hours. Hong Kong has three death registries providing free service, and death may also be registered at one of the 15 designated police stations in the New Territories and outlying islands.
During the year, 57 124 live births and 38 683 deaths were registered, as compared with 48 914 and 37 322 respectively in 2004.
Establishment
The Immigration Department had 4 585 disciplined staff at the end of the year compared with 4 535 in 2004 and 1 548 civilian staff compared with 1 551 the previous year.
Home Pages
Security Bureau: www.sb.gov.hk
Immigration Department: www.immd.gov.hk
Census and Statistics Department: www.censtatd.gov.hk