Now potential suitors face the prospect of having to fulfil a daunting new requirement before asking for a bride's hand – having the right government certificate。

　　Acquiring the appropriate official qualifications before popping the question is part of a plan for prenuptial training courses approved by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, with the aim of reversing declining Iranian marriage rates and rising divorce statistics。

　　From next week, online courses will be offered to young people to prepare them for the pitfalls of married life。

　　The three-month courses, involving weekly tests, will be run by the state-governed national youth organisation, and those who successfully complete them will receive a certificate as proof of their readiness for matrimony. Mohsen Zanganeh, the head of the national youth organisation for Tehran province, said the courses would provide young people with an understanding of the "alphabet of life" and were intended as an essential gateway to marriage。

　　" If a boy attempts to woo a girl, she will answer only if he has finished his course," he told the Fars news agency. "We are trying to increase the level of information among young people concerning marriage."

　　伊朗女性择偶时一度将对方工作和经济状况摆在第一位。如今，伊朗姑娘们的择偶条件又发生了新变化。据英国《卫报》9日报道，伊朗通过一项新决定，小伙向姑娘求婚前，必须通过严格考试，拿到政府颁发的“求婚许可证”。

　　报道称，伊朗小伙求婚前获得资格证书是伊朗“婚前培训课程计划”的一部分。该计划已通过总统内贾德的批准，目的是遏制伊朗日益下滑的结婚率和持续攀升的离婚率。

　　从下周开始，年轻人就可在网上学习相关课程，了解婚姻生活可能出现的各种问题，做到防患于未然。

　　这些课程时长3个月，每周都有测试，成功结业者将获得官方证书，证明他们已为婚姻做好准备。德黑兰省国家青少年组织一位负责人说：“今后，如果小伙想追姑娘，那么只有在他拿到求婚许可证之后，姑娘才有可能答应。”他表示，婚前培训课程可让小伙子们了解婚姻生活的琐碎细节，对其未来婚姻生活至关重要。