A couple who want to register their son for permanent residency in Beijing have been told by police that they must submit to DNA testing to prove that the boy is the man's offspring, reports Beijing Times.

Song, a Beijinger, married a woman from Chongqing in 1997 after they had dated for seven years. Their son, who was conceived before their marriage, was born in 1998 and has been living in Beijing ever since.

According to past policy, a child's residency should be registered with his mother's place, which was Chongqing. Since 2001, however, Beijing has allowed children to be registered according to their fathers' residency status.

But when Song went to a police station to register, he was told he must provide a DNA report proving his relationship to the boy. Such a test costs 3,600 yuan (US$430).

Police said the measure was meant to stop people from obtaining permanent residency from adoptive fathers.

(China Daily Aug 26, 2003)