How To Get A Marriage License During The Pandemic

Everything seems to have come to a grinding halt during this pandemic, with people (hopefully) choosing not to step out of their houses for things that are irrelevant. A lot of couples are choosing to get married during the lockdown with just their immediate families in attendance, after all, the limit is mostly 20 people per wedding all over the country on an average as of May 2021. So the big question really is, after you get married, how do you make it official? Can you really register your wedding and get a marriage certificate right now? We will try and answer all these questions in this post here. The normal process for getting your marriage registered was covered in this post here.

Image via Viveka and Rahil

Every country has their own set of rules and regulations when it comes to a marriage license, and these are the rules for India. Doesn’t matter whether your wedding was big or small- in India, marriage is governed by the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and the Special Marriage Act, 1954. It is mandatory to register your marriage as the marriage license works as evidence of the marriage. Basically, it is a legal approval of your matrimony and is universally accepted all over the world.

While the preffered method till now by most couples was the offline route to get the marriage registered, as highlighted in the post here, right now with the current scenario, it might be a much better idea to get your marriage registered online, followed by the appointment so you do not have to step out multiple times for the same. You can simply fill and submit a form online and visit the registrar on the day of appointment given to you after submission of the form.

But in India, the rule is not the same in every state. That is why you will have to check whether you can apply for a license online in the state where you are planning to get your marriage registered. If you want to register your wedding and get a marriage license right now, then here are some things you have to keep in mind. You can kick start the procedure right now, and go ahead with your appointment when the time is right.

Marriage Registration in Delhi

While in most states you have to go through the offline route, Delhi Government allows you to do it through the online and offline mode. Here are the steps you will have to follow for the same.

• To apply online you have to go to the E-district Delhi website
• Register yourself as a new user if you are not already registered.
• Click “apply for services” option and search “registration of marriage”
• Click “apply” option and form will appear on the screen
• Fill the info such as date of marriage, location, the bride and groom personal details, witness details etc.
• Upload the documents and submit the application form
• Take a print out of the acknowledgement slip in which date of appointment with the registrar is mentioned
• Visit the registrar office along with witness and documents on the appointment date and time, after which you will get your marriage certificate.

Marriage Registration in Other States

• Open the government’s official website of the state you want to get your marriage registered in.
• Browse through the website to find the form that is required to be filled for obtaining a marriage certificate
• In the form, fill the details for the husband and wife as requested
• Submit the marriage registration form and follow the procedure for the appointment. 

After this, you will be summoned by the marriage registrar on a particular date and time. It is usually approximately 15 days after submission of the form in case of Hindu Marriage Act & up to 60 days in case of Special Marriage Act.Make sure to be present at the office on time with all the documents that are required. The documents required to get your marriage registered might vary in different states, but they more or less remain the same. The documents must be duly signed by a Gazetted Officer before submission, and here are the ones required to register a wedding in Delhi:

• An application form or a memorandum of marriage signed by the husband and wife.
• A documentary evidence for proof of date of birth. This age, under both the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act, is 21 years for male and 18 years for the female. This document may be in the form of a matriculation certificate/passport/birth certificate.
• The residence proof of the husband and wife which can be Election Voter Id, PAN Card, Aadhar Card, Ration Card, or bills like Electricity Bill etc.
• If the marriage was performed at a religious place, a certificate from the priest is needed to solemnize the marriage.
• In case of marriage registration under the Hindu Marriage Act Rs. 100, and in case of marriage Special Marriage Act, Rs. 150, is to be submitted to the cashier of the district and the receipt is to be attached along with the application form.
• Two passport size photographs of both the partners and one marriage photograph.
• Wedding invitation card.
• The two involved in the marriage are required to give an affirmation that they are not related and that they do not fall within the degree of prohibited relationship, as laid down under the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 and the Special Marriage Act, 1955.
• An attested copy of the divorce decree/order in case of a divorcee and the death certificate of the spouse in case of widow/widower.
• An affidavit by both the partners stating the place and the date of marriage, date of birth, marital status at the time of marriage and nationality.
• Do not forget to bring two people who witnessed your wedding along with you to the sub-registrar office.

Going by the procedure, you will still have to visit the Government office to complete the formalities, and we do hope that you will wait for the situation to get better. There are also marriage agents and third party private websites not affiliated with the government, which can help you procure your marriage license, after which the certificate is sent to you by post or over email. You can also look at procuring it through these means, however, we cannot vouch for the authenticity of the same for every case. 

So now we hope you are clear on how to go ahead with your marriage registration during the pandemic. Bear in mind, the procedure also has to be followed to get the marriage registered even after a Court Marriage, which is what a lot of couples are opting for these days.

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