Marriage Certificate and Registration

Be it a traditional marriage or court marriage, getting a marriage registered is important. The couple looking for marriage registration can visit the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate under whose jurisdiction the couple got married or where either of the parties resided for at least 6 months. In the following article, we detail out the documents necessary for the process of marriage registration in India. Further the process with respect to the registration of marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act and Special Marriage Act has been discussed.

The requirement of documents for the registration of marriage in India varies slightly from one state to another. But the common documents are the same in every district. 

• The couple must fill up the registration form and submit it to the marriage registrar in the district in which either of the parties to the marriage has resided not less than a month. The couple must sign the application form.
• Birth Proof- A document relating to birth is to be given such as a birth certificate, matriculation certificate, or passport. Recently the government declared the legal marriage age for women in India to be 21 years which was 18 years earlier.
• Both the parties must be capable of giving valid consent with sound mind.
• Residential Proof of both the parties to the marriage. Residential Proof includes Voter ID, PAN Card, Aadhar Card, Electricity Bill, or Ration card.
• A certificate from the institution where the marriage took place such as any religious place. The certificate is for proof of solemnization of the marriage.
• In case of a marriage to be registered under the Hindu Marriage act, Rs 100 is to be paid to the district cashier. Whereas Rs 150 is to be submitted for marriage registration under the Special Marriage Act.
• 2 Recent Passport Size Photographs of both individuals along with one photograph of marriage if the marriage has been solemnized.
• If the marriage has been solemnized, a copy of the invitation card can be given.
• The parties have to also affirm that they do not fall under the prohibited degrees of relationship under the Hindu Marriage Act or Special Marriage Act.
• Here the party or parties are divorced from their previous marriage, an attested copy of the divorce decree must be attached to the application form.
• While registration of the marriage, 2 witnesses are required to be present in the sub-registrar office.
• An affidavit mentioning the place of marriage, date, time, marital status as well as nationality of the parties must be attached along with the application form.

As mentioned earlier, marriage registration in India takes place under the Hindu Marriage Act or Special Marriage Act. The Supreme Court of India made it mandatory to register marriage in 2006 for legalizing it. Registration of marriage can be done online as well as offline

Online Registration- A marriage certificate is an essential document that declares the marriage between two individuals legally. Registration of marriage online has been setting a trend recently. Registering for marriage online is a convenient process, cost-effective, and saves time. It serves a purpose in the pandemic situation where people don’t have to stand in long queues. One can register for marriage online through the following steps.

• Visiting the official government website of the home state to which the applicant belongs
• Find the form for marriage registration by browsing the site
• Both the parties are required to fill out the personal details along with contact details.
• On filling of the form, you must submit the form.

After the form has been filled and submitted, the Marriage Registrar summons the applicant on a given date and time. The parties to the marriage must be present on the given date with all the documents along with two witnesses at the Registrar's office. 

In the case of registration under the Hindu Marriage Act, it takes 15-30 days after the submission of the form to send the given date and time by the Marriage Registrar. Whereas, it takes 60 days in the case of the Special Marriage Act.

1. Hindu Marriage Act- Irrespective of the religion of the parties, the registration can be made under Hindu Marriage Act or Special Marriage. Marriage under both the Act is applicable to all the citizens of India. However, the parties to the marriage if belonging to Hindu, Sikh, Jian, or Buddhist are eligible to apply for registration of marriage under this Act. Registration for marriage can be also applied for by a couple whose marriage has been solemnized.

By visiting the sub-registrar office where the marriage had been solemnized and under whose jurisdiction it comes, or where the partner has resided more than 6 months a marriage registration can be applied for. Hindu Marriages are solemnized according to the rituals and customs of either party.

2. Special Marriage Act- Similarly, citizens of India can get their marriage registered under the Special Marriage Act, 1954. A couple can have their marriage registered under this Act by solemnization by a marriage officer. As mentioned earlier, it takes 60 days for marriage to be registered after filling up and submitting the form. 

A notice with respect to the registration of marriage is put for 30 days and if no such objection is received, the marriage subsequently gets registered. In the Special Marriage Act, the registration of marriage is complete without performing any religious ceremony. This Act enables those parties who are not prohibited to register their marriage under Hindu Marriage Act.

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3. Zero Stress - The partners do not have to worry about the paperwork & complex process at the court. Our Associate will perform all these actions at the court. 
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5. Track Your Case - We provide you the opportunity to track your cases from the online dashboard. You can easily track your case status, payment status, update the application, etc.