With the falling rates of fertility in Iran, the country has come with a unique idea as they launch the matchmaking app. The state-approved matchmaking app —Hamdam has been introduced to promote marriages in an Islamic country that restricts contact between unrelated men and women.

Developed by a state-affiliated Islamic cultural body Tebyan Cultural Institute, the app requires users to verify their identity and carries out psychological compatibility tests, and gives advice to young singles seeking a marriage partner.

Hamdam which translates to ‘Companion’ offers matching and counseling services to prospective couples and their families. When there is a “match” (compatibility between two profiles), the application puts families in contact, in the presence of consultants and promises to accompany future couples throughout the first four years of marriage.

Unlike other popular dating apps, Hamdam bans western-style dating under Iran’s Islamic laws. However, many young people reject traditional arranged marriages and want to decide their own future.

According to Iranian media reports, Iran’s population could be among the oldest in the world in two decades after the fertility rate among Iranian women dropped 25 percent over the past four years. The fertility rate is about 1.7 children per woman.

A decade ago, Iran started reversing its family planning policies. Among which one of them was making contraception, which had been available for free, gradually more difficult to get. In 2014 Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued an edict that said boosting the population would ‘strengthen national identity’ and counter ‘undesirable aspects of Western lifestyles.’

The government has also passed provisions to provide financial incentives for childbirth and marriage, including loans and handouts to young married couples with several children.