### Marriage Ordinance 《婚姻條例》

33A. Offence for providing false information in relation to appointment of civil celebrants
(1) Any person who provides any false information which—
(a) he knows to be false; or
(b) he has no reasonable ground to believe to be true,
to the Registrar for specified purposes shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine at level 5 and to imprisonment for 2 years.
(2) In subsection (1), specified purposes (指明目的) means—
(a) procuring the appointment of any person as a civil celebrant or renewal of such appointment;
(b) avoiding the cancellation or suspension of the appointment of any civil celebrant; or
(c) avoiding the giving of a notice under section 5D(9) in respect of any person.

(Added 23 of 2005 s. 17)

33B. Offence of falsely holding out as civil celebrant
Any person who, not being a civil celebrant—
(a) advertises or represents himself as a civil celebrant; or
(b) knowingly permits himself to be advertised or represented as a civil celebrant,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine at level 5 and imprisonment for 2 years.
(Added 23 of 2005 s. 17)

34. Fines
All fines for offences against this Ordinance may be recovered in a summary way before a magistrate. 
(Amended 30 of 1911; 50 of 1911)

34A. Time limit for prosecution
Notwithstanding section 26 of the Magistrates Ordinance (Cap. 227), proceedings for an offence against section 29, 30(a), 30(b), 32, 33, 33A(1), 33B, 39(3)(a) or 39(3)(b) may be brought within 6 months after the act or omission alleged to be constituting the offence is discovered by or comes to the notice of the prosecutor.
(Added 23 of 2005 s. 18)

35. Use of forms
The forms in Schedule 1 may be used in the cases to which they are applicable with such alterations as circumstances may render necessary.
(Amended 50 of 1911 s. 4; 23 of 2005 s. 56)

### Marriage Ordinance 《婚姻條例》

36. Fees
(1) The fees specified in Schedule 2 shall be paid to the Registrar for the respective matters specified opposite to the fees in that Schedule. (Amended 50 of 1911 s. 4; 62 of 1911 Schedule; 8 of 1912 s. 22; 14 of 1926 s. 5; 15 of 1947 s. 2; 20 of 1948 s. 4; 1 of 1960 s. 17; 71 of 1999 s. 3; 23 of 2005 s. 57)
(2) The Chief Executive in Council may by order published in the Gazette amend Schedule 2. (Added 23 of 2005 s. 57)

37. Reduction or remission of fees
The Registrar may, in any case where he is satisfied of the poverty of the parties, reduce the amount of the said fees or remit them altogether. 
(Amended 14 of 1926; 20 of 1948 s. 4)

38. Marriage under this Ordinance of persons customarily married
The parties to any non-Christian customary marriage duly celebrated according to the personal law and religion of the parties before 7 October 1971 may, unless the husband has any other wife, contract with each other a marriage under this Ordinance; and such a marriage shall not invalidate the previous customary marriage.
(Replaced 68 of 1970 s. 26. Amended 23 of 2005 s. 58)

### Marriage Ordinance 《婚姻條例》

40. Marriages under this Ordinance are Christian or equivalent thereto
(1) Every marriage under this Ordinance shall be a Christian marriage or the civil equivalent of a Christian marriage. 
(2) The expression Christian marriage or the civil equivalent of a Christian marriage (基督敎婚禮或相等的世俗婚禮) implies a formal ceremony recognized by the law as involving the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. (Amended E.R. 4 of 2019)
(Replaced 34 of 1932 s. 3)

42. Regulations
The Secretary may make regulations—
(a) to provide for the composition of the Appeal Board for hearing appeals;
(b) to provide for the operation of the Appeal Board;
(c) to provide for the practice and procedure for handling of appeals by the Appeal Board;
(d) to provide for legal representation of parties to an appeal;
(e) to provide for the appointment and function of the Secretary of the Appeal Board;
(f) to provide for the delegation of functions of the Appeal Board to the Secretary of the Appeal Board;
(g) to provide for the powers that the Appeal Board may exercise in relation to appeals;
(h) to provide for matters ancillary or incidental to the matters specified in paragraph (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) or (g); and
(i) generally for the better carrying out of this Ordinance.
(Replaced 23 of 2005 s. 19)

42A. Amendment of Schedules
The Secretary may, by notice published in the Gazette, amend Schedule 1, Schedule 3 or Schedule 4.
(Added 23 of 2005 s. 20)

43. Disposal of documents and microfilms when recorded in form of digital image
(Amended 8 of 2006 s. 46)The Registrar may, where any document has been recorded in the form of digital image under this Ordinance, destroy or otherwise dispose of such document, and any microfilm on which such document is recorded, in such manner as he thinks fit.
(Added 80 of 1997 s. 77. Amended 8 of 2006 s. 46)

### Marriage Ordinance 《婚姻條例》

44. Registrar may provide information relating to civil celebrant, etc. to professional bodies
The Registrar may provide—
(a) any information relating to the performance of any function as a civil celebrant by any person who—
(i) is a civil celebrant; or
(ii) has been a civil celebrant; or
(b) any information relating to any improper conduct of any person in his application for appointment or renewal of appointment as civil celebrant,
to any professional body for its use in connection with any disciplinary proceedings or prospective disciplinary proceedings against the person on such terms as the Registrar may specify.
(Added 23 of 2005 s. 21)

45. Saving
The amendments made to section 27 and paragraph (c) of the proviso to section 39(1) by the Marriage (Introduction of Civil Celebrants of Marriages and General Amendments) Ordinance (23 of 2005) shall not—
(a) validate a marriage which would have been invalid; or
(b) invalidate a marriage which would have been valid,
but for the enactment of that Ordinance.
(Added 23 of 2005 s. 60)

### Matrimonial Causes Rules 《婚姻訴訟規則》

1. Citation
These rules may be cited as the Matrimonial Causes Rules.

### Matrimonial Causes Rules 《婚姻訴訟規則》

3. Application of the Rules of the High Court
Subject to the provisions of these rules and of any enactment, the Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4 sub. leg. A) shall apply with the necessary modifications to the commencement of matrimonial proceedings in, and to the practice and procedure in matrimonial proceedings pending in the Court of First Instance or in the District Court.
(25 of 1998 s. 2; L.N. 26 of 2002; E.R. 4 of 2019)