Marriage Registration

When you can register

• The marriage must already have been validly performed under personal law, for example a Hindu ceremony with saptapadi, an Anand Karaj, a nikah or a church wedding.
• Both spouses must have met the legal age at the time of marriage, 21 for the groom and 18 for the bride. Registration does not cure an underage marriage.
• Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist marriages are usually registered under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the relevant state rules.
• Marriages of citizens performed in Delhi are covered by the Delhi Compulsory Registration of Marriage Order, 2014, whatever the religion of the couple.
• A marriage already performed in another form can also be registered under Section 15 of the Special Marriage Act, which involves a 30-day public notice like a fresh court marriage.
• Jurisdiction depends on where the marriage took place or where a spouse lives, so the right office has to be chosen before applying.

What affects the total cost

• The government registration fee is nominal, but late registration can involve extra affidavits explaining the delay.
• Affidavits on marital status, date and place of marriage are made on stamp paper and notarised for both spouses.
• If the marriage proof is weak, extra documents such as a wedding card, priest's certificate or venue receipt may have to be arranged.
• Registration under Section 15 of the Special Marriage Act takes longer because of the notice period and may need more visits.
• Travel for both spouses and witnesses to the Registrar's office on the appointment date.

How long it takes

For a Hindu Marriage Act registration with clean documents, the online application can be filed in a day, and the main wait is the appointment date at the Registrar's office, which usually brings the total to one to three weeks. On the appointment, both spouses and the witnesses appear, documents are checked and the certificate is often issued soon after. Delays come from an unclear date or place of marriage, a mismatch in names between the wedding card and IDs, an old marriage where little proof is left, a missing witness, or choosing a route like Section 15 that needs a public notice.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Waiting until a visa interview or passport appointment is close. Registration needs an appointment and cannot always be done in a few days.
• Applying in the wrong district, where neither the marriage took place nor either spouse lives.
• Giving a date of marriage in the application that does not match the wedding card or Mandir certificate.
• Thinking registration can be done without the wife or husband appearing. Both spouses normally have to be present in person.
• Using only a Mandir certificate as proof when the Registrar also expects photographs or other evidence of the ceremony.

What you get at the end

You receive a marriage certificate issued by the Registrar of Marriages, which is a government record of your marriage. It is accepted for adding a spouse's name in a passport, spouse and dependant visas, bank and insurance nominations, employer and PF records, and as the main document for a wife's surname change. Keep a few certified copies because some embassies ask to see a recent copy.

In Delhi NCR

• In Delhi, marriage registration is handled by the SDM office acting as Registrar, and the application is filed online on the e-district portal of the Delhi Revenue Department.
• Delhi registration needs either the marriage to have taken place in Delhi or a Delhi address for at least one spouse, and the SDM office is chosen by that address or venue.
• Delhi's compulsory registration order means that marriages performed in the city are expected to be registered, so a late application should come with a short explanation.
• Couples living in Gurugram or Faridabad register under Haryana's system and those in Noida or Ghaziabad under Uttar Pradesh's system, each with its own online form.
• For couples outside Delhi NCR, the team can guide you online on the documents and the local procedure where possible.