Household registration easier in Heilongjiang

More residents are now able to apply for household registration in northeastern China's Heilongjiang province, which has removed a number of requirements to ease the process, according to a recently released announcement.

Those with their own houses or who rent properties can apply for permanent residence, or hukou, by providing relevant certificates, according to the public security administration corps of the provincial department of public security.

Those without properties or who do not rent can also apply for community collective household registration, it added.

"Take the capital city Harbin as an example. In the past, people could apply for registration only after renting a housing estate for over six months, but now they can apply with a shorter waiting period," said Liang Dawei, deputy director of the corps.

"Now the policy can help them enjoy local social welfare much quicker since they can get local household registration much easier.

"We are making every effort to deepen household registration reform," he said.

For example, residents whose name is not the same as the one on the permanent residence certificate, due to errors or technical limitations for example, may encounter difficulties when dealing with archives or documents, thus the police station could add their former or proper names.

"This policy can also greatly reduce the time and procedures for residents to handle their business," Liang said.

Heilongjiang has seen a decline in population in recent years. It recorded 31.85 million permanent residents in 2020, according to the data of the 7th National Population Census, down by around 6.46 million from 2010.

Other regions in China have also announced further relaxation of rules for household registration to attract a wider range of talent and boost the development of the digital economy.

Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, for example, has lowered the requirements for education, age and employment, which means more people will have the opportunity to apply for residency. This includes full-time college graduates under age 35 who work in the city as well as postgraduates under age 45.