How to Apply for a Marriage Certificate Online in India

To apply for a marriage certificate online, open your state's registration portal, create a login and fill the marriage details. Upload the proofs and pay the fee. In most states you then visit the office once with the originals and your witnesses. Karnataka's Kaveri portal is one exception, where an online Hindu marriage registration needs no visit.

The certificate is issued by the state, not the central government. So the portal depends on where you married or where you live.

What a Marriage Certificate Is and Who Issues It

A marriage certificate is the official record that a marriage has been registered. Depending on the state, it is issued by the Sub-Registrar of the Registration Department, the local body (panchayat or municipality), or the SDM office.

Under section 8 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, each state makes its own rules for registering Hindu marriages. Section 8(5) adds that a Hindu marriage is valid even if it is not entered in the register. The certificate is the proof.

Before You Apply

Keep these ready as scans on your phone or computer, because the portal will ask for them in the middle of the form.

1. Age proof of both partners. The bride must have been 18 and the groom 21 at the wedding.
2. Address proof of both.
3. Identity proof of each witness. Some states need two witnesses, some need three.
4. Proof of the wedding, such as the invitation card and photos. A certificate from the place of worship also helps.
5. Photos of the couple in the size the portal asks for.
6. Affidavits, in states that need them.

Scan everything at small sizes. UP asks for PDFs of about 70 KB and Haryana caps files at 200 KB. A phone photo of a document is often 2 MB or more.

The full checklist, route by route, is on our page on documents for marriage registration.

The Online Application, Step by Step

The screens differ by state, but the flow is much the same everywhere.

1. Open your state's portal from the table below and create a login with your mobile number.
2. Choose marriage registration, and the Act you are registering under if the portal asks.
3. Enter both partners' details and the wedding date and place. Then add the witnesses.
4. Upload the scans and the photos.
5. Pay the fee online, or note when it is due. Karnataka asks for payment after the Sub-Registrar approves.
6. Note the application number. You will need it to track the request.
7. Visit the office on your appointment, if your state needs it, with every original and the witnesses.
8. Download or collect the certificate after approval.

State Portal Directory

Each state name links to our full guide for that state, with the official sources. Fees are the latest official figures we could find. The portal's payment page has the final word.

Appointment, Verification and Witnesses

Most states want to see the couple once. In Maharashtra the couple signs before the registrar with three witnesses. Delhi needs two witnesses before the SDM. UP gives you 30 days from the online application to visit the office with the originals.

Karnataka's Kaveri FAQ says an online Hindu marriage registration needs no visit to the Sub-Registrar office. Aadhaar is mandatory for that online route. An offline application there still needs everyone in person.

Ask the witnesses to bring their original ID cards. Remind them the night before.

Fees and Processing Time

The fee is small in every state. It ranges from ₹10 in UP to ₹100 in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Haryana for an on-time application. Late fees climb after the deadline. Tamil Nadu charges ₹1,150 after 150 days.

Processing time varies a lot.

Tatkal or Same-Day Certificates

Mumbai's BMC has a tatkal option for ₹2,500 extra, subject to document checks. We did not find a tatkal option on the current official pages of the other states covered here. A Special Marriage Act wedding can never be same day, because of the 30-day notice.

After You Download It

Check both names and the date of marriage on the certificate the day you get it. Correction later takes another round of forms. Save the PDF in two places, such as your email and a pen drive, and keep a few printed copies.

Keep the wedding card and the biodata PDF that the families exchanged in the same folder. Both carry the full names, the date of birth and the parents' names, and that helps if any office questions a spelling. If you are still at the biodata stage, you can pick a design now.

For the bigger picture, read our marriage registration guide.