SHANGHAI, Aug 18 -- BEIJING couples can now book marriage certificates online, greatly reducing waiting time for registration.

Li Ziwei, head of the marriage agency at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Civil Affairs, said yesterday that since July 1, all 19 marriage registries have opened an online service for booking registrations.

Up to August, 200,000 new couples had registered in Beijing, or more than 800 couples a day.

On August 8 alone, over 3,000 new couples got their marriage certificates at marriage registry offices in Beijing, a record high this year.

"I have been in the queue since yesterday afternoon and waited more than 17 hours with my girlfriend to become the first couple to register on a very auspicious date," said Zhao Gang, a newlywed.

Queuing the whole night to get a certificate can be exhausting, yet is not uncommon.

Booking online provides an alternative that greatly saves time. Couples only need to wait no more than one hour to get their certificates.