The marriage certificate is an official document which declares that two people are married legally. In India, a marriage certificate is an essential document for a couple. In India, marriages can be registered according to two acts, The Hindu Marriage Act,1955, or under the Special Marriage Act,1954. For both types, a marriage certificate is a necessary document to legitimize the marriage.
The supreme court in India has made it mandatory to register the marriage to safeguard women’s rights. Hence, obtaining a marriage certificate is essential and can have various benefits. It’s important to note that to obtain a marriage certificate, the bride should be over 18 years of age, and the groom should be over 21 years of age, which is the legal age in India to marry.
REASONS :
The marriage certificate becomes an essential document when opening a bank account or applying for a passport after marriage. In the case of foreign travel, marriage certificate becomes necessary for visa processing and a copy of the marriage certificate is asked for by many embassies.
MARRIAGE REGISTRATION UNDER HINDU ACT
If the marriage has taken place under the Hindu act, the marriage should be solemnized under Hindu customs, and the bride and groom must be Sikhs, Buddhists or Hindus. Further, any of the following should fall under the jurisdiction of the registering officer:
- Residence of the bride or groom
- Solemnization place
Also, proof from the priest is required when filling the application form.
SPECIAL MARRIAGE REGISTRATION
In this case, the notice of the intended marriage should first be issued. The registrar solemnizes the Special Marriage registration. If no objection against the marriage is received within 30 days of notice, marriage will be registered by the officer, and further, a marriage certificate can be obtained.
ONLINE MARRIAGE REGISTRATION
To complete the registration online, one needs to select their district after visiting the official website of their respective state governments. One needs to open the official marriage registration portal, select the district, fill in the husband’s details, and choose “ registration of marriage certificate.” Date of appointment would be selected and then click on submit the application. The person who registers will get a unique number that would be printed on the acknowledgement slip. Further, a printout of the application slip needs to be taken out.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED:
- Identity proof of both the bride and groom
- Identity proof of the witnesses
- Residence proof of bride, groom, and witnesses
- Nationality proof if any one individual is a foreigner
- Age proof of bride and groom, it could be a birth certificate, school or college leaving certificate, the passport will also work.
- 4 coloured passport size photographs of the bride and groom
- All the documents should be self-attested
- Completely filled application form
It is important that all the details must be carefully filled and the application formed should have the signatures of the bride, groom, and the witnesses. It’s mandatory to have a marriage certificate issued to avoid any inconveniences.
