Tapple, a popular Japanese dating app, on Wednesday launched a new feature that allows users to verify their unmarried status via their government-issued identification My Number card — a first in the country.

With the app boasting over 20 million users, worries about dishonest relationship statuses were common.

According to a survey conducted by Tapple, over half of the nearly 5,500 respondents — 53.8% of men and 68.6% of women — have previously expressed concerns about whether the people they meet on the app might be married. The survey also found that nearly all female respondents and over 80% of male respondents said they want proof the people they match with are single. Similarly, around 80% of respondents expressed an interest in being able to verify their own single status to ease any doubts others may have about their availability.

The new service, therefore, aims to prevent potential relationship issues by offering users the option of displaying a certification on their profile that confirms their single status to others.

To obtain the certification, a user scans their My Number card through the government-operated Myna Portal, which verifies the accuracy of their relationship status on Tapple by comparing it with their officially recorded marital status.

The marital status certification service has been available via the the My Number card system since last August. When signing up for matchmaking services at marriage agencies, people are also often asked to verify that they are single, but this is the first time that such an option would be available for a major dating app in the country.

With the percentage of My Number card holders nearing 80% nationwide, the dating app company views their verification system as something that could easily catch on among users.

Tapple, like many other dating apps, has maintained that their service is for those who are single. The company hopes the new system will help make the app a platform that can be used without concern.

In recent years, dating apps have become an integral part of the dating experience in Japan, with a quarter of couples under the age of 40 who got married within the past five years having met on a dating app, according to a government survey.

At the same time, issues that arise from online matchmaking services, such as romance scams, in which fraudsters emotionally manipulate their victims into sending them money or making dubious investments, have also been highlighted.