Chinese newlyweds shocked to discover they are divorced – according to their wedding certificate
Thanks to glitch at registry, the code on their document starts with L, for divorced, instead of J, for married
A couple from Wuhan in central China who applied for their marriage certificate realised to their horror that the code printed on the document began with “L”, which is used for divorces, the news site Cnhubei.com reported on Sunday.
The pair received a phone call from staff of the Dongxihu District Marriage Registry a few hours after they collected their marriage certificate on Friday, telling them there was a problem with the code on their certificate and that they needed to reapply the following day.
A quick search online found that the code on their certificate began with “L”, for “lihun” or divorce”. The code for marriage certificates start with “J”, for “jiehun” or marriage.
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As the mishap caused much distress among the couple’s elders, the couple decided to settle the issue privately and ask for financial compensation from staff involved.
On Saturday afternoon, an official from Dongxihu’s Civil Affairs Bureau apologised to the couple and their families when they returned to the marriage registry to settle the issue.
The official, surnamed Huang, promised to investigate the incident and advised them not to settle the issue privately but to seek compensation through the court.
The couple received their new marriage certificate on Saturday afternoon. Their names and ages were not given in the report.