Citizen Services:--> How to Obtain Marriage Certificate

A) Marriages to be solemnized under special marriage Act. 1954

How to apply : Applicant has to apply in the prescribed form. The age limit for
Bridegroom 21 years and Bride is 18 years
What Document to attach :
Bride and Bridegroom age proof ( Leaving Certificate or Passport or birth
Certificate or Domicile Certificate or SSC Board Certificate)
Bride & Bridegroom residential proof ( Ration Card or Passport or Election card or
Light bill and Telephone bill of own name)
Photograph of both Bride and Bridegroom
All above document along with original +1 attested Xerox copy
In case of Divorcees : Divorce Decree Certificate must be produced
In case of widow and widower : Municipal Death Certificate of concerned person
must be produced

B) Under Section 16 of Special Marriage Act 1954.

Application to be made in the prescribed form duly signed by Husband & Wife
Marriage should have taken any place in the India and both should be living
together in Marriage Officer Jurisdiction
Under U/s 16 of Special Marriage, Application should be given in 30 days advance.
Residential proof of both should be attached with application

C) Marriage Memorandum Under Maharashtra Regulation Marriage Bureaus and

Registration of Marriages 1998

Applicant has to submit the memorandum of marriage forms ( which are supplied in
the office of Marriage officer Mumbai.) affixed with Rs. 100 court fee stamp
Document to be attached :
Bride & Bridegroom Age proof: Leaving Certificate OR Passport OR Birth
Certificate R Domicile Certificate OR PAN Card
Bride & Bridegroom Residential Proof : Ration Card OR Passport OR Election Card
OR Light Bill and Telephone Bill of own name.
Three (3)Witness Proof :- Ration Card OR Passport OR Election Card OR Driving
Licence OR Govt. Identity Card.
Wedding Card
In case of non availability of Wedding card Rs 100=00 Stamp Paper Affidavit of
both husband wife and three witnesses is required
Rs. 100=00/- Court Fee Stamp
Photographs of both Bridegroom / Bride

Note :

All above documents should be submitted along with Original + 1 Attested Zerox
copy. The parties (Bride & groom) and Three witnesses to the marriage shall appear
in person before the Registrar and sign and memorandum under section 6(B) of
Maharashtra Marriage Act, 1998
In case of Divorcees, Divorce Decree Certificate Must be produced
In case of widow and widower Death Certificate of concerti person must produce.

What is a Marriage Certificate and Why is it Needed?

A Marriage Certificate is the proof of registration of a marriage. The need for a
Marriage Certificate arises in case you need to prove that you are legally married
to someone, for purposes like obtaining a passport, changing your maiden name,
etc.

Legal Framework

In India, a marriage can be registered under either of the two Marriage Acts: the
Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 or the Special Marriage Act, 1954. To be eligible for
marriage, the minimum age limit is 21 for males and 18 for females. The parties to
a hindu marriage should be unmarried or divorced, or if previously married, the
spouse by that marriage should not be alive. In addition, the parties should be
physically and mentally healthy and must not be related in a way prohibited by the
law.

The Hindu Marriage Act is applicable only to the Hindus, whereas the Special
Marriage Act is applicable to all citizens of India.

The Hindu Marriage Act provides for registration of an already solemnised

marriage. It does not provide for solemnisation of a marriage by the Registrar.
The Special Marriage Act provides for solemnisation of a marriage as well as
registration by a Marriage Officer.

What You Need to Do to Obtain a Marriage Certificate

Under the Hindu Marriage Act:

Parties to the marriage have to apply to the Registrar in whose jurisdiction the
marriage is solemnised or to the Registrar in whose jurisdiction either party to
the marriage has been residing at least for six months immediately preceding the
date of marriage. Both the parties have to appear before the Registrar along with
their parents or guardians or other witnesses within one month from the date of
marriage. There is a provision for condonation of delay up to 5 years, by the
Registrar, and thereafter by the District Registrar concerned.

Under the Special Marriage Act:

The parties to the intended marriage have to give a notice to the Marriage Officer
in whose jurisdiction at least one of the parties has resided for not less than 30
days prior to the date of notice. It should be affixed at some conspicuous place
in his office. If either of the parties is residing in the area of another
Marriage Officer, a copy of the notice should be sent to him for similar
publication. The marriage may be solemnised after the expiry of one month from the
date of publication of the notice, if no objections are received. If any
objections are received, the Marriage Officer has to enquire into them and take a
decision either to solemnise the marriage or to refuse it. Registration will be
done after solemnisation of the marriage.

Any marriage already celebrated can also be registered under the Special Marriage
Act after giving a public notice of 30 days, subject to conditions. However, as
stated above, the bridegroom and the bride must have completed 21 years and 18
years of age respectively.
There are two procedures to register marriage in India. The first is to marry
first as per the vidhi of any religion and then arrange for the marriage
registration. The second way is to register your marriage first in the court,
which is called registered marriage. It is not necessary to give any prior notice
to the court in case you select the first method of registration. You have to
submit the application in the prescribed forms that are available in all marriage
registrar offices, situated in all the cities. It is required to get this form
signed by the priest who has performed the marriage along with the signatures of
the bride and the bridegroom. Some of the marriage photographs and the printed
invitation cards for the marriage are required to be attached certifying that the
marriage has actually taken place. The minimum age of the boy should be 21 years
and the age of the girl should be 18 years in India for a legal marriage. Once
this application form duly signed by all is submitted, the marriage certificate
shall be issued to you within the period of around 2 days. Make sure to issue at
least 6 to 8 certified copies of marriage certificate as it would be necessary to
submit such certificate at various places like banks, insurance companies, and
consulates for visa issuance purpose. Though, such certificate is generally issued
in the regional language, insist to get such certificate in English as the
certificate in English shall be considered valid at the international level for
foreign travel purposes. Some nominal fees of around Rs.20 (50 cents) per copy are
charged by the marriage registrar office for issuing the marriage certificate.
This procedure is quite simple and you can easily get your marriage certificate
within a short period of around 2/3 days of your marriage without any major hassle