ENG-2001 — Page 514

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POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION

nationality requirement for the marrying parties but neither of them can be under the age of 16 years.

Normally, the Registrar of Marriages should be given at least 15 days' notice of an intended marriage and the marriage must take place within three months of the giving of the notice. A marriage can take place in one of the 10 marriage registries, or any of the 237 licensed places of public worship. In 2001, 30 554 marriages were celebrated in the marriage registries and 2 271 in licensed places of public worship. The Registrar of Marriages is also responsible for issuing Certificates of Absence of Marriage Records. During the year, 20013 such certificates were issued.

Births and Deaths

Births and deaths 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. Beyond 12 months after the birth of the child, the consent of the Registrar of Births and Deaths is required for post-registration. During the year, 82 births were post-registered.

There are seven district birth registries. A mobile registry also provides service for remote areas and outlying islands.

Deaths from natural causes should be registered by the relatives within 24 hours. Hong Kong has four death registries providing a 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, 49 144 live births and 33 305 deaths were registered, compared with 53 720 and 33 993, respectively, in 2000. When adjusted for under-registration, the figures gave a natural population increase of about 0.19 per cent.

Verification of Eligibility for a Permanent Identity Card

Except those who are required to obtain Certificates of Entitlement, other persons who claim permanent resident status in the HKSAR must also apply for verification of their eligibility for a permanent identity card. In 2001, 76 199 applications were received. Of these, 40 736 applicants received approval to register for permanent identity cards.

Nationality Matters

The Immigration Department is authorised by the Central People's Government to handle Chinese nationality applications from Hong Kong residents with effect from July 1, 1997. Applications can be made either by post or in person. With effect from February 1, 2000, those from overseas can be made through the nearest Chinese diplomatic or consular missions. Under the law, Hong Kong residents of Chinese descent born in Chinese territories (including Hong Kong) are Chinese nationals, regardless of whether they hold a foreign passport. Those who want to be treated as foreign nationals in the HKSAR must make a declaration of change of nationality to the Immigration Department. During the year, the Immigration Department received 60 applications for declaration of change of nationality, 360 applications for