A friend of mine recently shared his troubles with me. A father-to-be, he is busy running in circles for government authorities in order to attain a birth permit for his pregnant wife.

Obtaining a birth permit, a byproduct of China's family planning policy drawn up decades ago to control China's expanding population, has long been considered a headache in the eyes of Chinese citizens due to the complicated procedures involved. Regulations state that couples need to get their permit in areas where they have hukou, local residency permits. Due to China's floating population, this regulation adds a measure of complexity to this process.

My friend, who holds Beijing hukou, told me that he had gone to his local street office, the official body that handles community issues, and police station, and he was asked to get relevant documents from his company. After he prepared all of the requested documents, both offices prevaricated, each telling him to go to the other office with the materials.

As if such Kafkaesque bureaucracy weren't enough to complicate things, his wife was not planning to give birth in Beijing, but rather her hometown of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't experience the whole process myself," he said.

Nor did my friend benefit from a recent change announced by the National Population and Family Planning Commission that the procedures for receiving a birth permit would be simplified, especially for migrant workers. Although the new policy has been hailed by some analysts as the first step to breaking the chains of hukou, it still has a long way to go in practice.

Since the announcement, some reporters have gone to street offices to see how the new regulation is being carried out. However, the answer they got from the office staff was ice-cold: "News is just news. If couples come, they still wait."

It's understandable that applying a new policy takes time to transfer from central to local levels. But in addition to the difficult process, people are naturally dismayed by the attitude of the office staff. Having a baby is a happy occasion for a family, but this happiness can be quashed by unwelcome words.

My friend told me that the first time he went to the street office, the first thing he was asked was, "Are you a local or from the outside?" Though he's a local, he still felt offended: It seems that life events matter little compared to one's status in a city.

For many reasons, the outdated and complicated application process for birth permits should be reformed. As the nation debates the need for reform on China's family planning policy, amending this process can be the first step.

Also, this small step can reflect the government's big determination to improving public services. The birth permit's legal name is a "birth service certificate" in many places. Because it's a service certificate, the government should offer it with the least cost, the fastest speed and the happiest attitude.

Obtaining a birth permit is one of the only times ordinary people deal directly with the government. Having a baby is one of the most important events in one's life. Why shouldn't the government leave its citizens with a good impression during this important time in life? Securing a birth permit should not be a nightmare for couples, and any improvements will benefit the whole nation.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. wangwenwen@globaltimes.com.cn