### Marriage Ordinance 《婚姻條例》

13. No licence or certificate if either party under 16
No certificate of the Registrar may be issued or special licence may be granted if any proposed party to the intended marriage is under the age of 16 years.
(Added 13 of 1934 s. 2. Amended 20 of 1948 s. 4; 71 of 1999 s. 3; 23 of 2005 s. 41)

14. Production of written consent
(1) This section applies in relation to an intended marriage if any proposed party to the intended marriage—
(a) is of or over 16 and under 21 years of age as at the date of marriage; and
(b) is not a widower or widow. (Replaced 23 of 2005 s. 10)
(1A) The written consent of the relevant person specified in Schedule 3 to the intended marriage—
(a) shall be produced to the Registrar or a civil celebrant before a certificate of the Registrar may be issued; or
(b) shall be produced to the Registrar before a special licence may be granted. (Added 23 of 2005 s. 10)
(2) Nothing in this section shall be read as dispensing with the necessity of obtaining the consent of the Court of First Instance to the marriage of a ward of court. (Added 80 of 1997 s. 28. Amended 25 of 1998 s. 2)

16. Right to forbid issue of certificate of the Registrar
(1) Any person whose consent to an intended marriage is required under section 14 may, before the issue of a certificate of the Registrar in respect of the intended marriage, forbid the issue of the certificate by— (Amended 23 of 2005 s. 42)
(a) writing the characters “不准” or the word “Forbidden”;
(b) signing his name; and
(c) stating the capacity in which he forbids the issue,
on the copy of the notice of intended marriage produced for inspection under section 7(4). (Amended 14 of 1926 s. 5; 20 of 1948 s. 4; 80 of 1997 s. 74)
(2) If the issue of a certificate of the Registrar is so forbidden, the notice of intended marriage and all proceedings thereupon shall be void.
(Amended 23 of 2005 s. 42)

### Marriage Ordinance 《婚姻條例》

17. Registrar may inquire into right to forbid
(1) If either of the proposed parties to an intended marriage alleges that a person forbidding the issue of a certificate of the Registrar in respect of the intended marriage has no right under section 16 to do so, the Registrar shall inquire into the matter, and if he is satisfied that the person has no such right, he may proceed to issue the certificate in due course, without reckoning the time that has elapsed since the issue was forbidden. (Amended 23 of 2005 s. 43)
(2) For the purposes of such inquiry the Registrar may administer an oath to any person. (Amended 80 of 1997 s. 30)
(Amended 14 of 1926 s. 5; 20 of 1948 s. 4)

18. Appeal against decision of Registrar
(1) If the Registrar is satisfied that a person forbidding the issue of a certificate of the Registrar in respect of an intended marriage has a right under section 16 to do so, either of the proposed parties to the intended marriage may appeal by petition to the Court of First Instance, and the Court or judge may hear and determine the matter of the petition in a summary way. (Amended 50 of 1911; 62 of 1911 Schedule; 14 of 1926 s. 5; 20 of 1948 s. 4; 92 of 1975 s. 59; 25 of 1998 s. 2; 23 of 2005 s. 44)
(2) Such determination shall be final; and the Registrar shall proceed in accordance therewith, without reckoning the time that has elapsed since the issue was forbidden. (Amended 14 of 1926 s. 5; 20 of 1948 s. 4)

### Marriage Ordinance 《婚姻條例》

18A. District Judge may give consent
(1) If consent is required under section 14 from the relevant person or persons specified in Schedule 3 with respect to a party to an intended marriage, and— (Amended 23 of 2005 s. 45)
(a) in the case of such person or any of such persons being a guardian, there is no guardian or such guardian is dead;
(b) after diligent enquiry, the party is unable to trace such person or any of such persons;
(c) such person or any of such persons refuses to give consent;
(d) such person or any of such persons is of unsound mind; or
(e) such person or any of such persons has forbidden the issue of the certificate of the Registrar,
a District Judge may, on application being made, consent to the marriage and the consent so given shall have the same effect as if it had been given by such person or any of such persons or as if the forbidding of the issue of the certificate of the Registrar had been withdrawn. (Replaced 80 of 1997 s. 31. Amended 23 of 2005 s. 45)
(1A) For the avoidance of doubt, it is hereby declared that where consent is required under section 14 from either parent of the party, subsection (1) shall apply only if the party is unable to obtain such consent from both of his parents. (Added 80 of 1997 s. 31)
(2) The power to make civil procedure rules under section 72 of the District Court Ordinance (Cap. 336) shall extend to—
(a) prescribing the method of application for consent;
(b) prescribing the service of copies of the application and any ancillary documents, if any;
(c) prescribing the procedure to be followed at the hearing of the application including provision for the application to be heard in chambers; and
(d) authorizing the District Judge to call for and receive a report from an officer of the Social Welfare Department or other suitably qualified person before giving consent to a marriage under subsection (1).
(3) In this section—
guardian (監護人) includes—
(a) any person to whose custody the party is committed by order of the court, other than a parent; and
(b) all of the guardians, if more than one guardian is appointed to act jointly. (Added 80 of 1997 s. 31)

(Added 32 of 1990 s. 17)