Documents Required for Marriage Registration in India, a Checklist

The documents required for marriage registration in India are age proof and address proof of both partners, passport-size and wedding photos, the wedding invitation card, and ID proof of two or three witnesses. Many states also ask for an affidavit from each partner. A divorcee or widow adds the divorce decree or the death certificate.

The exact list is set by each state's rules, so read this with the page for your state.

Core Checklist for Both Partners

Carry the originals and one set of self-attested photocopies of each.

The bride must have been 18 and the groom 21 on the wedding day. These ages are in section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and section 4 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954. The age proof is how the office checks this.

Age Proof That Offices Accept

Any one of these usually works. This list is from the Maharashtra IGR and BMC checklists, and other states take much the same.

1. Birth certificate.
2. SSC (10th standard) certificate, or the school leaving certificate.
3. Passport.
4. Domicile certificate.
5. Driving licence, in Maharashtra's Special Marriage Act list.

Check that the date of birth is the same on every paper you carry. If Aadhaar shows a different date from the 10th certificate, carry both and be ready to explain.

Address Proof

Address proof decides which office you can go to. Most states let you register where either partner lives, so one of you needs a proof for that district.

Haryana's list, for example, accepts Aadhaar, a voter ID, a passport, a driving licence or a ration card. Delhi asks for proof of residence both before and after the marriage. For the Special Marriage Act, the proof must show that one of you has lived in the district for at least 30 days.

Proof That the Marriage Took Place

This is the part families forget. You need to show the wedding happened.

Is the wedding card compulsory? Not everywhere. Mumbai accepts a stamp-paper declaration instead, while Haryana's online form lists the card as a required upload. If you married at a temple with no printed card, take the temple receipt and photos, and ask your office what it will accept.

Ask the photographer for one clear print of the couple at the main ritual, such as the thali tying or the pheras. That single photo answers most questions.

Witnesses, Who Can Sign and What They Bring

The number of witnesses depends on the law and the state.

Each witness brings an ID proof and an address proof. UP also asks for age proof of witnesses, and Delhi wants proof of permanent residence in Delhi.

Can parents be witnesses? No central law bars a parent from being a witness, and Delhi's official guidelines do not bar them either. Local practice varies, so ask your office once. If in doubt, take a friend or cousin who attended the wedding.

Affidavits

Several states ask each partner for a sworn affidavit, signed before a notary.

Use the format from your state's portal or district office, not one copied from a random website.

Extra Documents for Divorcees, Widows, NRIs and Foreign Partners

An NRI can use the Indian passport as age and identity proof. Ask the office whether an overseas address is accepted, because registration is tied to an address in that district.

Route-Wise Differences

Our court marriage process page covers the Special Marriage Act papers in detail.

Keep One Folder

Put everything in one plastic folder the week after the wedding: originals, two photocopy sets, ten passport photos of each partner, and a pen. Take it to the office in one go.

Much of this is the same information that went into the marriage biodata: full names, dates of birth, both fathers' names and the native place. If the families still have the biodata PDF, it is a handy sheet to copy spellings from. If you are still at that stage for a son or daughter, you can make the biodata first.

For the full process, read our marriage registration guide. To file online, see how to apply for a marriage certificate online.