A few pointers on marriage registrations in India.

Marriage registration is one of the most important tasks connecting to a wedding. It can be handled through the Hindu Marriage Act or Special Marriage Act done by couples getting married irrespective of their religions. A registration helps both partners in a marriage, either before, with issues during, or if a spouse passes away. A marriage certificate is needed to help with any official work relating to the marriage.

Here are a few things to know about registering a marriage in India.

As mentioned earlier, with regard to getting your name changed, a marriage certificate plays a major role. Making changes to your last name on all official documentation without a marriage certificate needs a lot of effort and a ton of additional documentation. Furthermore, it helps when applying for visas since the system sees the couple as a married couple and not two individuals travelling individually.

In India, depending on whether you are a Hindu or belonging to any other religion, you have to register under the Special Marriage Act or the Hindu Marriage Act. There aren’t many differences between the two forms, however, it takes a longer time to process a marriage under the Special Registration Act. Secondly, if one of the marrying partners belongs to a religion other than Hinduism, the couple has to register under the Special Marriage Act.

Handling the marriage process offline can be quite time-consuming. If you are registering your marriage through the Hindu Marriage Act, the couple getting married have to register under the sub-registrar, where the marriage was solemnized or either of them has been living for at least six months.

Under the Special Marriage Act, they have to provide a 30-day notice to the sub-registrar and a copy of this notice is added to their notice boards. If there are no objections to their marriage it is pushed forward.

There is a lot of documentation needed for the registration of a marriage. Some of the forms are mentioned below and have to be submitted by both the parties.

• - Depending on the religion of the people getting married, the right application forms have to be filled out and submitted
• - Proof of address.
• - Proof of identification (you cannot use the same document submitted as proof of address).
• - Proof of your birth.
• - An affidavit stating the date and place of the marriage.
• - Photographs
• - The wedding invitation.
• - A signed certificate of the priest conducting the celebration.
• - Two witnesses, preferably who were present at the time of the marriage.
• - Depending on the circumstances of the marriage, a certificate of conversion, divorce, or death.

You can also handle the entire registration remotely through the interwebs. It saves time and trouble of travelling, which is especially helpful if you are working far from home. All you have to do is download the forms, fill them out, and submit them. You still have to show up on the date of your appointment but that still saves you the previous trips of gathering the forms, documents, and details needed.

Although the Indian Government does recognize marriages that have been handled by religious institutions, to get assistance for official work through Government offices can be quite difficult without a marriage certificate. As previously mentioned, getting a marriage certificate is one of the most important documents to be handled. What are you waiting for? Register your marriage now!

This information has been gathered by Marilyns Marriages

Everything you need to know about marriages: Facts, figures and online portals.

Gujrat marriage registration

• - Click to download Gujrat marriage registration form

Gujrat marriage certificate

• - Click to download Gujrat marriage certificate form

Karnataka marriage registration

• - Click to download Karnataka marriage registration form

Karnataka marriage certificate

• - Click to download Karnataka marriage certificate form

Assam marriage registration

• - Click to download Assam marriage registration form

Assam marriage Certificate

• - Click to download Assam marriage Certificate form

Delhi marriage registration

• - Click to download Delhi marriage registration form

Delhi marriage Certificate

• - Click to download Delhi marriage Certificate form

Rajasthan marriage registration

• - Click to download Rajasthan marriage registration form

Rajasthan marriage Certificate

• - Click to download Rajasthan marriage Certificate form

Tamilnadu marriage registration

• - Click to download Tamilnadu marriage registration form

Tamilnadu marriage Certificate

• - Click to download Tamilnadu marriage Certificate form

Bihar marriage registration

• - Click to download Bihar marriage registration form

Bihar marriage Certificate

• - Click to download Bihar marriage Certificate form

Although each religion has a different custom about marriages, they have been around for as long as religion itself. As customs and traditions changed to keep up with the times, so did the process of marriages with the creation of many marriage websites taking the entire process from finding your life companion to making it a reality.

Some of the leading and better-known marriage online platforms have been around for more than two decades and have brought millions of people together, giving them their happily ever after.

India’s most popular marriage website has got to be Shaadi.com, which came about in 1997, having completed more than two decades in India. With the largest user base, their latest poll capping at more than 35 million users, they created an app for an improved user experience for their subscribers. Jeevansath.com, the second largest marriage website based on the number of users, on the other hand, didn’t just stop with the website and went ahead to create a phone app. The website has been around since 1999, with the phone app joining in a lot later and have more than 10.5 million users on their platform. Coming in a close third and fourth are Bharatmatrimony and Simplymarry with their eight million and six million users respectively. However, while the former started in 1997, the latter is a lot more recent, starting out in 2006.

Why does the number of subscribers and the website audience size make it better than it’s competition?

From an audience point of view, a larger number of people on a website usually means that there are more people to interact with. Just like social media, a marriage website is just as popular as the number of people using it and that is where the user statistics comes into play. From a monetising perspective either through a paid subscription or advertisements, both of these would again change the entire dynamic of a website based on the number of people using the website.

Other than the popular marriage websites mentioned above, there are a bunch of others that could be checked out as well. A lot of these are recent and would probably take a couple of years to catch on.

• - DivorceeMatrimony.com - since 2009
• - CommunityMatrimony.com - since 2009
• - SecondShaadi.com - since 2007
• - Imarriage.com - since 2007
• - VivahaBandhan.com - since 2002
• - MatrimonialsIndia.com - since 1998
• - KMMatrimony.com - since 2004
• - Arathy.com - since 2001
• - Vivaah.com - since 2002
• - AkankshaMatrimonial.com - since 2008
• - LifePartnerIndia.com - since 2005
• - Swayamwara.com - since 2000
• - MahaMatrimony.com - since 2011
• - TrueShaadi.com - since 2009
• - ChavaraMatrimony.com - since 2008
• - MeraSathi.com - since 2004

Here is a list of the top matrimonial websites of 2018 and their year of creation.

• - Bharat matrimony
• - Jeevansathi
• - Shaadi
• - Vivaah
• - Lifepartner
• - Rosebrides
• - Secondmarriage
• - Lovevivah

How to avail of a Marriage Certificate: Procedures and steps for the application process.

A marriage certificate is an official statement stating that two people are married. In India, there are two Marriage Acts that marriages are registered under, the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955 or the Special Marriage Act of 1954. In 2006, the Supreme Court made it mandatory to register all marriages under the Marriage Act, irrespective of the religious ceremony being handled, for the protection of women. Depending on the religion(s) of the couple, they have to choose to register under the respective Marriage Act.

The process of registering a marriage under the Marriage Act:

You can apply at the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate in whose jurisdiction the husband or wife resides on any working day to get the ball rolling on the marriage registration. Fill the Application form duly signed by both husband and wife. Verification of all the documents is carried out on the date of application and a day is fixed for the appointment, and both parties are given that date. On the said day, the to-be husband and to-be wife, along with a Gazetted Officer who attended their marriage, need to be present before the ADM. The Marriage Certificate is issued on the same day.

Here are some of the documents needed for the marriage registration process.

• - Filled out application form signed by both the to-be husband and the to-be wife
• - Proof of Address, which could be the Voter ID/ Ration Card/ Passport or Drivers License
• - Proof of Date of Birth of both the parties
• - Two passport-sized photographs
• - One marriage photograph
• - Separate Marriage Affidavits in prescribed format from the husband and the wife
• - Aadhaar Card, in light of the new laws (however, this is not mandatory)

All the above-mentioned documents must be self-attested.

• - Marriage Invitation Card

Appointment:

In case of the Hindu Marriage Act, you get an appointment in 15 days of the online registration, but in the case of the Special Marriage Act, it may take up to 60 days.

Witness:

Any person who has attended the wedding of the couple can be a witness and must have a PAN Card, along with another proof of residence.

Tatkal' Marriage Certificate:

In April 2014, the Revenue Department of the Delhi Government introduced a 'tatkal' service ensuring a single-day authorisation of the marriage under which the registration process will be undertaken on priority. This service, that started on April 22, 2014, allows citizens to register their nuptials and receive a certificate in 24 hours on payment of Rs. 10,000 as a fee.

Benefits of a Marriage Certificate:

• - If you are applying for a passport or opening a bank account post the wedding, a Marriage Certificate is required and comes in handy.
• - It is extremely helpful in obtaining visas for both, the husband and wife.
• - As foreign embassies in India as well as countries outside India, do not recognize traditional marriages, the Marriage Certificate is mandatory for the couple travelling abroad on a spouse visa.
• - Make the process of claiming life insurance return or bank deposits in case of demise of the Insurer or depositor without any nominee easier.

Fees:

• - Rs 100/- in case of Hindu Marriage Act
• - Rs 150/- in case of Special Marriage Act
• - The fees have to be deposited with the cashier of the District and the receipt attached with the application form.

Time taken to get the certificate:

As per the rules, you should get the marriage certificate within three working days. However, in reality, it may take up anything between ten to fifteen days.

Court Marriages

Court Marriages in India vary from traditional marriages as they take place in a law court in the presence of a marriage officer without following the traditions in a customary marriage, no matter the religion. Here, two individuals who are eligible to marry can proceed to marry each other in presence of three witnesses. No customary celebrations are required to solemnize the wedding, instead, for a court marriage in India to be valid, the presence of marriage registrar and witnesses are sufficient, with the only condition being that it should satisfy the essentials of the Special Marriage Act, 1954.

People of two genders either belonging to the same or different religion can marry each other through a court marriage. It is not necessary that the parties have an Indian nationality. A Court marriage can be handled by an Indian national and a foreign national.

Court Marriage Procedure in India:

In India, Court marriages can be handled in six easy and simple steps. A Court marriage is done in accordance with the provisions of the Special Marriage Act, 1954. The act provides for the court marriage age, prerequisite condition of court marriage, documents required for a court marriage, court marriage fees, and the entire court marriage process.

Court marriages in India have given an opportunity to an Indian Male and Indian Female (or even one of them being a foreign citizen) to solemnize their marriage procedure in the court without any bar to their caste, religion, or creed. Special Marriage Act, 1954 provides for the rules of court marriage, the process of court marriage, and the documents required for a court marriage.

Prerequisite Court Marriage Rules and Regulations:

Court marriage rules and regulations provide for the conditions required to go ahead with the court marriage process. These court marriage rules given under section 4 of the Special Marriage Act are as follows:

• - There should be no pre-existing marriage of either male or female unless the previous spouse is not living or the divorce has been obtained from the previous spouse.
• - The parties should provide free consent for court marriage i.e. neither of the parties to the marriage should be incompetent of giving valid consent due to unsound mind or any other factor.
• - The parties must be eligible to marry i.e. of court marriage age.
• - The court marriage age for a boy is 21 years and a girl 18 years.
• - The parties to the marriage should not be related to each other under the prohibited degrees of marriage.

The Court Marriage procedure

The court marriage process can be broadly divided into the six steps, as given under Chapter II of the Special Marriage Act, 1954. The details of these steps have been mentioned below:

Step 1: Notice of Intended Marriage

The first step of the court marriage is the notice of the intended marriage, which has to be in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 of the Special Marriage Act. A written notice has to be mandatorily sent to the marriage registrar showing the intention of the parties to marry each other. Notice is to be sent to the office of marriage registrar in whose district either of the party to the court marriage have resided for a minimum of 30 days before sending the notice.

Step 2: Publishing of Notice

The notice sent to the office of marriage registrar shall be published by the marriage officer by affixing it to a clearly visible place in his office and should keep the original copy of the notice in his notice book. If the notice of intention to marry is sent to the wrong office of marriage registrar then he shall forward the same to the office in whose jurisdiction the parties reside so the notice can be affixed at the right place.

Step 3: Objection to Marriage

Section 7 of the Special Marriage Act states that any person who has an objection to the intended marriage can raise the objection within 30 days from the date of publication of notice by marriage registrar. If the marriage registrar finds that the objection raised to court marriage of the parties is correct then he will end the court marriage procedure and will not proceed with the process. However, if he finds that the objection is unjustified then he will proceed with the court marriage registration procedure. If the objection is sustained by the marriage registrar then the parties can file an appeal with the district court against the order of marriage officer/registrar.

Step 4: Declaration by Parties and Witnesses

The next step as provided in the court marriage rules is the declaration by parties and witnesses. Before the court marriage is finalised the court marriage form has to be signed by the parties along with three witnesses declaring that the parties are doing the marriage with their consent. The declaration court marriage form has to be signed in the presence of the marriage registrar.

Step 5: Place and form of Solemnization

Section 12 of the Special Marriage Act provides that the court marriage can be solemnized at the office of marriage registrar or any other place at a reasonable distance. The marriage can be solemnized by filling up an online application for court marriage along with payment of court marriage fees.

Step 6: Court Marriage Certificate

Once the marriage has been solemnized as according to the rules and regulations of court marriage, the marriage registrar shall enter the details of the marriage in the marriage certificate in accordance with the Schedule IV of the Special Marriage Act. The court marriage certificate is the proof of a valid marriage of the parties after the signatures of parties and witnesses.

Documents Required for Court Marriage in India:

There are certain documents required for court marriage. Without these documents, the court marriage cannot be solemnized. Here is a list of the documents needed for a court marriage from both the prospective bride and groom:

• - Application form duly signed by both bride and groom
• - Receipt of fees paid along with the application form
• - Proof of date of birth from both the bride and the groom (class 10th mark sheet, and passing certificate/passport/birth certificate)
• - Residential address proof ( Aadhaar card/voter ID card/ration card/driving licence)
• - Separate affidavits from both the bride and the groom.
• - The affidavit about court marriage must contain the following court marriage information:
1. - Date of birth
2. - Marital Status whether unmarried, divorced, or widowed
3. - A statement affirming that the parties are not related to each other under the prohibited degree of relationships.
4. - Two passport size photographs of both the bride and the groom.
5. - Copy of divorce decree/order in case of a divorcee and death certificate of spouse in case of widow/widower.

Exceptions and other conditions:

The eligibility criteria for court marriages has certain exceptions. However, the marriage is prohibited between the prohibited degrees of relationship but the marriage can be solemnized between the prohibited degree of relationship if your custom allows the same. Even if the custom of only one of the party to the marriage to marry in the prohibited degree then also this exception will be applicable.

If the marriage has to be done in the state of Jammu & Kashmir, it is mandatory that both the parties to the marriage must be Indian citizens, which means foreign nationals cannot get married in the state of Jammu & Kashmir.

For foreign national to get married under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 they have to live in India for at least 30 days and must have a residence proof. In case they do not have Indian residence proof, they can get the same from the local police station in whose jurisdiction they are living. Furthermore, a no objection certificate (NOC) is also required from the embassy of the foreign national’s country in India. A foreign national must have a valid passport and visa if they want to go ahead with a court marriage in India.

Witness Document Required for Court Marriage:

Following documents are required for court marriage from the witness:

• - One passport size photograph each from the three witnesses to the marriage
• - PAN card of the witnesses
• - An identification document of the witnesses such as driving licence, Aadhaar card etc.

Court Marriage Fees:

Court marriage fees vary from states to state and can be checked online. The court marriage documents have to be attached to the court marriage registration form and court marriage fees. Generally, the fees for a court marriage are between Rs 500 to Rs 1000 but it is always advised to check the fees while filling an online application for a court marriage.

Complications involved in a Court Marriage:

The main aspect that makes court marriages so popular is how relatively simple they are as compared to a customary marriage. All you have to do is file an online application for a court marriage at the registration of court marriage.

Despite being an easy way to marry your loved one, there are certain complexities in a court marriage that often raise the question - how do court marriage work. Here is a list of the few complications involved in a court marriage procedure:

• - The dates for your court marriage depend on the marriage registrar. A date will be alotted for the appointment and you have to show up in person for the solemnization of court marriage of the intended parties.
• - Even if there is an emergency, an early date cannot be allotted as a date cannot be provided before 30 days from the date of publication of the notice, if no objections are raised.
• - If an objection is raised, it can delay the court marriage procedure until the decision of the marriage officer with respect to the objection raised to marriage.
• - Although the process of applying for a court marriage has been made online, parties looking to get married have to appear before the marriage registrar for solemnization of marriage. Furthermore, online portals do not work in every part of the country.
• - Notice of marriage is required to be given to the office of the marriage registrar in whose jurisdiction the parties to the marriage have been residing for a minimum of 30 days so you cannot go anywhere else for getting married.
• - The documents required, the fees to be paid, and the persons appointed as Marriage Officers differ from place to place. It is generally as per the rules framed by the respective States.
• - If the marriage is not solemnized within three months from the date of the notice of intended marriage then a fresh notice has to be given to the marriage officer for solemnizing the court marriage.

Advantages of Court Marriage:

Court marriage has the following advantages:

• - It is a simple and cost-effective process.
• - The court marriage certificate is the conclusive proof of the marriage.
• - For obtaining a visa for the spouse marriage certificate is beneficial.
• - Once the marriage is solemnized as court marriage there is no need to reapply for the registration of marriage.
• - The court marriage certificate also allows the dependent spouse to claim the bank deposit or life insurance benefits, in case of demise of the insurer or policyholder.

Uniformity of Procedure:

The Special Marriage Act is a secular act which is applicable to persons of all religions uniformly and thus the procedure for the court marriage is uniform for all the persons with no bar to any religion.