Marriage Registration in India, How It Works in Every State

Marriage registration in India is done by your state's registrar after the wedding, under the Hindu Marriage Act, a state registration law, or the Special Marriage Act. You apply on the state portal or at the office. Both partners show proof of age and address, along with proof of the wedding, and sign before two or three witnesses. Most states set a deadline between 45 and 90 days.

The fee for an on-time registration is small, from ₹10 in Uttar Pradesh to ₹100 in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Haryana.

Why Register Your Marriage

A marriage certificate is the proof that you are married. You will be asked for it far more often than you expect.

1. Adding a spouse's name to the passport, or changing the bride's surname in it.
2. A spouse visa or a dependant visa for work abroad.
3. Changing the surname in Aadhaar and PAN.
4. Joint bank accounts and nominations. Insurance claims and pension papers too.
5. Property and inheritance matters, where the spouse's claim must be shown.

Registration does not make a Hindu marriage valid. Section 8(5) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 says a marriage stays valid even if it is not entered in the register. But many states have made registration compulsory, and without the certificate every one of the jobs above gets harder.

Two Legal Routes, Hindu Marriage Act and Special Marriage Act

Most families use one of two routes. A third, the state's own registration law, sits on top in several states.

The Hindu Marriage Act route is quick. You register a wedding that has already happened, often in a single visit.

The Special Marriage Act, 1954 route takes at least 30 days, because notice must be displayed for objections. Our page on the court marriage process explains it stage by stage.

Several states also have a law that covers marriages of every religion.

Christian and Parsi marriages also have their own laws, the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872 and the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act, 1936.

Online or Offline, Step by Step

Most states now take the application online and then ask you to come to the office once.

1. Open your state's portal and create a login with your mobile number.
2. Fill in both partners' details, the wedding date and place, and the witnesses.
3. Upload age proof, address proof, photos and the proof of the wedding.
4. Pay the fee online.
5. Visit the registrar on your appointment date with all originals and the witnesses.
6. Collect or download the certificate after approval.

Offline, you collect the form at the office, fill it in by hand and submit it with photocopies. The rest is the same. Karnataka is one state where an online Hindu marriage registration needs no office visit at all.

The portal for each state and the details of the online flow are on our page on how to apply for a marriage certificate online.

Documents and Witnesses Checklist

These are asked for almost everywhere.

1. Age proof of both, such as a birth certificate, the 10th certificate or a passport.
2. Address proof of both, such as Aadhaar, a voter ID or a passport.
3. Passport-size photos of each, and joint photos of the couple.
4. The wedding invitation card and wedding photos.
5. A certificate from the priest, temple, church or mosque, where available.
6. Affidavits from both partners, in states such as Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
7. ID and address proof of each witness.
8. The divorce decree or the death certificate of a former spouse, if either was married before.

Witnesses are two in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and three in Maharashtra and Karnataka. A Special Marriage Act marriage always needs three.

Can parents be witnesses? No central law bars it. Ask your office once, because local practice varies. The detailed list is on our documents for marriage registration page.

Fees, Deadlines and Late Registration

Can you register a marriage years after the wedding? Yes, in every state we checked. You pay the late fee, and some states ask for an affidavit explaining the delay. Haryana, for example, asks for seven joint photos instead of six after one year.

If your marriage is not registered, it is still valid, but you may face a small fine in states where registration is compulsory. Section 8(2) of the Hindu Marriage Act allows a fine of up to ₹25, and Maharashtra's Act allows up to ₹1,000. The bigger cost is the trouble when the passport or visa office asks for the certificate.

State-Wise Guides

Each guide below gives the official portal and the law for that state. It also has the documents and the fee table, checked against government sources.

More states will be added. Until then, search for your state's Registration Department or local body portal and look for the marriage registration service.

After Registration

Check the certificate the day you get it. Look at both names, the date of marriage and the place. Corrections later take another round of forms, and in Mumbai the BMC does not correct a certificate after approval.

Then decide about the surname. Changing it is a choice, not a legal must. If the bride changes it, the order is Aadhaar, then PAN, then the bank, then the passport. Our guide to name change after marriage has the details, and the Aadhaar name change page covers the first step.

Much of the information on the registration form is what went into the marriage biodata, such as full names, dates of birth and parents' names. If you kept the biodata PDF, it is a handy sheet to copy spellings from. If you are still at that stage, you can make the biodata here. The rest of the wedding paperwork is in our wedding planning checklist.