BEIJING - A national database on marriage registration has been established in 21 provinces to help prevent fraudulent multiple marriages, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (MCA) announced Friday after a meeting.

According to the ministry, 25 provinces have set up provincial databases, among which 21 provinces have connected their provincial ones with the ministry's national system.

Also, marriage information recorded since 1949 have been added to the national database in Bejing and Shanghai.

Li Liguo, Minister of Civil Affairs, urged marriage registration stations to promote the work system and carry out staff training in order to set up a database covering nationwide marriage records.

"A center providing marriage counseling service for cross-Straits families will also be set up," Li said.

China has seen a surge in marriage fraud in recent years. In some cases, people have used forged identification to marry several different people in order to obtain wedding gifts.

According to the authorities, the creation of the database will prevent people who attempt to marry multiple times by tracking their real identities and marital status.

In July, the MCA urged its local organs to speed up the establishment of a standardized digital marriage registration system in each of the country's provinces.