Marriage Registration in India 2026: Complete Process, Documents, Fees & State Portals

This guide walks through every step of the marriage registration process in India for 2026: eligibility, documents, the difference between the Hindu Marriage Act and Special Marriage Act routes, state-by-state portal links, fees, processing times, and the post-registration attestation pathway needed when the certificate is for use abroad.

Is Marriage Registration Mandatory in India?

Yes. Marriage registration is legally compulsory for every Indian citizen following the Supreme Court of India’s landmark judgment in Smt. Seema v. Ashwani Kumar (AIR 2006 SC 1158), delivered on 14 February 2006 by Justices Arijit Pasayat and S.H. Kapadia. The Court directed that all marriages of Indian citizens, irrespective of religion, must be compulsorily registered in the state where the marriage is solemnised, and instructed every State and Union Territory to frame or amend rules to give effect to this requirement.

The Supreme Court identified seven specific public-interest reasons for compulsory registration: prevention of child marriages, prevention of marriages without consent, curbing bigamy and polygamy, enabling married women to claim their rights to maintenance and matrimonial property, enabling widows to claim inheritance, deterring desertion, and deterring trafficking disguised as marriage.

Following this ruling, every state and union territory has enacted compulsory registration rules. Examples include the Tamil Nadu Registration of Marriage Act 2009, the Delhi (Compulsory Registration of Marriage) Order 2014, the Karnataka Marriages (Registration and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, the Bombay Registration of Marriages Act 1953 (applicable to Maharashtra and Gujarat), and the West Bengal rules administered by the Registrar General of Marriages through the MARREG portal at rgmwb.gov.in.

Important: Registration does not affect the validity of a marriage that was solemnised under personal or customary law. A traditional Hindu wedding, a nikah, a church ceremony, or a Parsi ashirvad is legally valid the moment it is performed. Registration produces the documentary evidence needed to prove that marriage to government departments, employers, banks, foreign embassies, and courts.

Which Law Applies to Your Marriage?

India does not have a single uniform marriage law. Five central statutes govern marriage registration, and the right one for a couple depends on their religion and how they want their marriage to be solemnised.

For most couples in India, the choice comes down to two routes: the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 for couples who already had a traditional Hindu, Sikh, Jain, or Buddhist ceremony, and the Special Marriage Act 1954 for interfaith couples, civil court marriages, and couples where one partner is a foreign national. The rest of this guide focuses on these two routes in detail.

Eligibility Criteria for Marriage Registration

The eligibility conditions are largely the same under both the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act:

• Age: The bride must be at least 18 years old and the groom at least 21 years old on the date of marriage.
• Sound mind: Both parties must be capable of giving valid consent and must not suffer from any mental disorder that makes them unfit for marriage or for procreation of children.
• Free consent: Both parties must consent freely, without coercion, fraud, or undue influence.
• No living spouse: Neither party should have a living spouse at the time of marriage. Divorced or widowed individuals must produce the relevant decree or death certificate.
• Prohibited degrees of relationship: The parties must not be related to each other within the degrees of prohibited relationship as defined in the relevant Act, unless the custom governing each of them permits such a marriage.
• Jurisdiction: At least one party must be a resident of the district where the application is filed, or the marriage must have been solemnised within that district. For the Special Marriage Act, one party must have resided in the district for at least 30 days before the date of notice.

Documents Required for Marriage Registration in India

The exact list varies slightly by state and by the act under which registration is sought, but the standard document set across India looks like this:

For both the bride and the groom

• Completed application form, signed by both parties
• Age proof: Class 10 (matriculation) certificate, birth certificate, passport, or PAN card
• Identity proof: Aadhaar card, passport, voter ID, or driving licence
• Address proof: Aadhaar, voter ID, ration card, electricity bill, or rental agreement
• Four to six passport-size photographs of each party
• Two passport-size joint photographs of the couple
• Affidavit declaring date of birth, marital status, nationality, and that the parties are not within the prohibited degrees of relationship

Proof of marriage (Hindu Marriage Act route)

• Wedding invitation card (one original)
• Two or three photographs from the marriage ceremony showing the rituals being performed
• Certificate from the temple, gurudwara, or priest who solemnised the marriage, where applicable

For the witnesses

• Aadhaar card, PAN card, or passport of each witness
• Two passport-size photographs of each witness
• The witnesses should ideally have attended the marriage ceremony itself

Additional documents in special cases

• Divorced applicant: Certified copy of the decree of divorce
• Widowed applicant: Death certificate of the previous spouse
• Foreign national: Passport, valid Indian visa, no-objection certificate (NOC) or single-status certificate from the embassy of the foreign national’s country, and proof of stay in India for at least 30 days
• Religious conversion: Conversion certificate from the priest who performed the conversion

Step-by-Step Process Under the Hindu Marriage Act 1955

This is the route most Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist couples use. The marriage has already taken place through traditional rituals; registration here is the legal recording of that marriage. The process typically takes 7–15 working days from the SDM appointment date.

Step-by-Step Process Under the Special Marriage Act 1954

The Special Marriage Act applies to interfaith marriages, civil court marriages where no religious ceremony has taken place, and any marriage where one partner is a foreign national. Because the law builds in a public objection window, the full process takes a minimum of 30 days plus processing time.

State-by-State Marriage Registration Portals and Processes

Marriage is a State subject under the Indian Constitution, so the operating procedure, fees, and online portal differ from one state to the next. Below is a breakdown of the process in seven major states where most registrations happen.

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu marriages are registered through the TNREGINET portal at tnreginet.gov.in, operated by the Inspector General of Registration based at No. 100, Santhome High Road, Chennai. The applicable law is the Tamil Nadu Registration of Marriage Act 2009, which made registration of all marriages compulsory in the state. Marriages must be registered within 90 days of solemnisation without a fine, and within 90–150 days with a late fee. After 150 days, registration is no longer possible at the Sub-Registrar level and a court order may be required. The bride must be 18 and the groom 21. Three witnesses are needed for marriages under the Tamil Nadu Registration of Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act, and two witnesses for the Hindu Marriage Act route. Couples in Chennai who need their marriage certificate attested or apostilled after registration can use apostille services in Chennai for the MEA chain.

Delhi

Delhi marriages are registered through the e-District portal at edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in, governed by the Delhi (Compulsory Registration of Marriage) Order 2014. Registration is handled by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of the district where either spouse resides. Government fees are ₹100 for the Hindu Marriage Act and ₹150 for the Special Marriage Act. SDM offices accept walk-ins from 9.30 am to 1.00 pm on working days. Both spouses must be present with the two witnesses (three for Special Marriage Act). Aadhaar is strongly recommended for both parties and witnesses; some SDM offices treat it as effectively mandatory. The certificate is typically issued within 14 days of the appointment for the Hindu Marriage Act route, and approximately 30+ days for the Special Marriage Act route after the notice period.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra operates the e-Marriage portal under IGR Maharashtra at adjudication.igrmaharashtra.gov.in/eMarriage2, governed by the Bombay Registration of Marriages Act 1953 and the Maharashtra Regulation of Marriage Bureaus and Registration of Marriages Act 1998. The process includes online data entry of bride, groom, and witness details, capture of photo and thumbprint, and Aadhaar-based verification. The Marriage Officer verifies the data, photos, and thumbprints, and after physical verification at the Marriage Registrar’s office issues the certificate. Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and Thane each have multiple Marriage Registrar offices serving different wards.

West Bengal

West Bengal registrations go through the MARREG portal at rgmwb.gov.in, operated by the Office of the Registrar General of Marriages under the Law Department, Government of West Bengal. The portal supports five separate acts: the Hindu Marriage Act 1955, the Special Marriage Act 1954 under Section 13, the Special Marriage Act 1954 under Section 16 (post-marriage registration), the Indian Christian Marriage Act 1872, and the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act 1936. Under the Hindu Marriage Act, the application is filed after the social marriage, the objection period is 7 days from receipt of the application, and the marriage must be registered within 6 calendar months. Under the Special Marriage Act Section 13, the declaration and solemnisation process starts after 30 days from the date of the notice and must end within 3 months of the notice period.

Karnataka

Karnataka marriages are registered under the Karnataka Marriages (Registration and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, one of the four state laws specifically cited by the Supreme Court in Seema v. Ashwani Kumar as having pre-existing compulsory registration. The portal is the Kaveri Online Services portal at kaveri.karnataka.gov.in. Registration is handled by the Sub-Registrar in whose jurisdiction the marriage took place or where either spouse resides. Karnataka offers both Hindu Marriage Act and Special Marriage Act routes, and the Sub-Registrar issues the certificate after document verification and personal appearance.

Kerala

Kerala uses the Registration Department portal at registration.kerala.gov.in, governed by the Kerala Registration of Marriages (Common) Rules 2008. The process is largely online: the application is filed through the portal, documents are uploaded, and the appointment is fixed at the local Registrar’s office. Under the Special Marriage Act, the marriage is registered on the expiry of the 30-day notice period, the certificate is entered in the certificate book, and is signed by the parties and witnesses. Kerala’s e-governance integration with Akshaya centres makes it one of the easier states for online marriage registration.

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh registrations are handled through the Stamp and Registration Department portal at igrsup.gov.in. The applicable law is the Uttar Pradesh Marriage Registration Rules 2017, which made registration compulsory for all marriages in the state regardless of religion. The process is online, with payment of the registration fee through the portal followed by an appointment at the Sub-Registrar’s office for verification. Aadhaar-based authentication is integrated into the workflow. UP is one of the larger states for marriage registration volume and the portal has been progressively upgraded to handle the load.

Marriage Registration Fees by State

Government fees for marriage registration are deliberately kept low across all states to encourage compliance with the compulsory registration mandate. The figures below are indicative government fees and exclude any service charges, late fees, or fees charged by intermediaries.

Fees are subject to revision by the respective state governments. Always verify the current fee on the official portal before applying.

Marriage Registration for NRIs and Foreign Nationals

If one or both partners are NRIs, OCI cardholders, or foreign nationals, a few additional steps and documents apply, and the Special Marriage Act 1954 is usually the appropriate route.

• Residency requirement: At least one party must have resided in the district where the application is filed for a continuous period of 30 days immediately before the date of notice. Hotel stay receipts, rental agreements, or a letter from a relative confirming stay are commonly accepted.
• Single-status certificate or NOC from the embassy: The foreign national must produce a no-objection certificate or single-status certificate from the embassy or consulate of their home country in India, confirming that they are unmarried and free to marry under their national law.
• Valid visa and passport: The foreign national’s passport must be valid and the Indian visa must permit the duration of stay required for the 30-day notice period and the subsequent solemnisation appointment.
• Document translation: Documents in any language other than English or the official language of the state must be translated into English by a certified translator and notarised.
• Apostille of foreign documents: Foreign documents (birth certificate, single-status certificate, divorce decree where applicable) must be apostilled in the country of origin if it is a Hague Convention member, or legalised through the Indian embassy in that country if it is not.

For a complete list of Hague Convention member countries that issue apostilles accepted in India, see the Hague Apostille Country List. Note that India has objected to China’s accession, so Chinese documents cannot be apostilled for use in India and must go through embassy legalisation.

After Registration: Marriage Certificate Attestation for Use Abroad

Getting the marriage certificate from your local SDM or Sub-Registrar is only the first step if the certificate is going to be used outside India. For overseas use, including spouse visa applications, family reunification, joint property purchase abroad, NRI banking, dependent visa for children, or immigration, the marriage certificate must be authenticated through one of two pathways depending on the destination country.

Apostille route for the 129 Hague Convention countries

If your destination country is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention (USA, UK, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Singapore, Netherlands, Canada, and 120+ others), the marriage certificate goes through this chain:

1. State Home Department or General Administration Department (GAD) attestation, OR Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) attestation in New Delhi as the state-level alternative
2. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India apostille

That is the entire chain. The MEA apostille is then accepted by all Hague member countries without any embassy involvement, with one significant exception: Germany has objected to India’s accession, so an Indian apostille is not accepted in Germany. Documents for Germany must go through the German diplomatic mission’s verification procedure instead, currently at INR 45,000 per application.

Embassy attestation route for non-Hague countries

If your destination country is not a Hague member (UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia is now Hague but still uses some legacy verification, Egypt, Taiwan), the marriage certificate goes through a longer chain:

1. State Home Department or SDM attestation
2. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) attestation
3. Embassy or Consulate of the destination country in India
4. For UAE specifically, a final MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) attestation in the UAE after the document arrives

For couples in Chennai and Tamil Nadu, AttestationMEA handles the full attestation chain end-to-end. See the dedicated marriage certificate attestation service page, the Chennai marriage certificate attestation page, and related services like SDM attestation and MEA attestation.

Common Reasons Marriage Registration Applications Get Rejected or Delayed

Marriage registration applications are rejected or sent back for clarification more often than couples expect. The most common reasons are avoidable:

• Name spelling mismatch between the application form and the supporting documents (Aadhaar, passport, matriculation certificate). Even a missing initial or a different transliteration causes rejection.
• Wrong jurisdiction. Filing the application at an SDM or Sub-Registrar office that does not cover the residence of either spouse or the place of marriage solemnisation.
• Date of birth proof too weak. Some SDMs no longer accept self-attested birth affidavits and insist on a matriculation certificate, passport, or municipal birth certificate.
• Witnesses without Aadhaar. In Delhi and several other states, witnesses without an Aadhaar number are now routinely refused even if they hold other ID proofs.
• Missing affidavit declarations. The joint affidavit must specifically declare that the parties are not within the prohibited degrees of relationship, and applications without this clause are rejected.
• Photographs not taken at the marriage. Many offices require at least two photographs showing the actual ritual or the couple together at the wedding venue, not studio post-wedding portraits.
• Special Marriage Act notice period skipped. The 30-day notice is mandatory and cannot be waived. Couples sometimes try to backdate the notice, which is a serious offence.
• Late registration without fine acknowledgement. In Tamil Nadu, registration after 90 days but within 150 days requires payment of a late fee; couples who do not declare the late period at the time of application get rejected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is marriage registration mandatory in India?

Yes. Following the Supreme Court ruling in Seema v. Ashwani Kumar (AIR 2006 SC 1158), marriage registration is compulsory for every Indian citizen regardless of religion. Every state and union territory has framed rules to give effect to this requirement.

How long does it take to register a marriage in India?

Under the Hindu Marriage Act, a marriage certificate is typically issued within 7–15 working days of the SDM appointment. Under the Special Marriage Act, the process takes a minimum of 30 days because of the mandatory public notice period, plus another few days for the solemnisation appointment and certificate issue.

Can a marriage be registered many years after it took place?

Yes, in most states, but the procedure is more involved. Tamil Nadu allows registration up to 150 days after the marriage with a late fee; beyond that, a court order is usually required. Delhi accepts late registration of marriages even after several decades, though additional supporting affidavits and witness statements may be requested by the SDM.

What is the difference between the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act?

The Hindu Marriage Act 1955 applies to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, registers a marriage that has already been solemnised through religious rituals, and has no waiting period. The Special Marriage Act 1954 applies to any two Indian citizens irrespective of religion (including interfaith couples), is the route for civil court marriages and marriages involving a foreign national, and requires a 30-day public notice period.

Do both spouses need to be present for marriage registration?

Yes. Both the bride and groom must appear in person at the SDM or Sub-Registrar’s office on the appointed date along with the witnesses. Personal appearance cannot be substituted by a power of attorney.

How many witnesses are required for marriage registration in India?

Two witnesses are required for the Hindu Marriage Act route in most states, and three witnesses are required for the Special Marriage Act route. Witnesses must carry their original ID proof (Aadhaar, PAN, passport, or driving licence) and ideally should have attended the marriage ceremony.

Can a foreign national marry an Indian citizen in India?

Yes, under the Special Marriage Act 1954. The foreign national must reside in the relevant district for at least 30 days before filing the notice, must produce a no-objection certificate or single-status certificate from their embassy or consulate in India, and must hold a valid passport and Indian visa for the full duration of the process.

Can the marriage certificate be used as proof of marriage abroad?

Yes, but only after it has been attested or apostilled. For Hague Apostille Convention countries, the certificate needs SDM or State Home Department attestation followed by an MEA apostille. For non-Hague countries (UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, etc.), it needs the full embassy attestation chain ending with the destination country’s embassy in India and, in the case of the UAE, a further MOFA attestation after arrival.

What is the validity of a marriage certificate in India?

A marriage certificate has lifetime validity and does not expire. However, when the certificate is presented to a foreign authority, that authority may require the apostille or attestation to have been issued recently, commonly within 3 to 6 months of submission. Always check the specific requirements of the receiving authority.

How do I get a duplicate marriage certificate if the original is lost?

Apply to the same SDM or Sub-Registrar’s office where the original marriage was registered, file an affidavit explaining the loss, and pay the duplicate certificate fee (typically ₹100–₹500). Most state portals also allow online application for a certified copy by quoting the original registration number.

What documents are needed to change the bride’s surname after marriage?

The marriage certificate itself is the primary document. With it, the bride can apply for a name change in Aadhaar, PAN, passport, voter ID, and bank accounts. Many official name changes also require a Gazette notification, which is published in the Official Gazette of the relevant state government.

Is Aadhaar mandatory for marriage registration in India?

Aadhaar is not legally mandatory under the central acts, but in practice most state portals (including Delhi e-District, IGR Maharashtra, and TNREGINET) now require Aadhaar-based authentication for at least one of the parties, and Aadhaar of the witnesses is often insisted upon. Couples should obtain Aadhaar before applying to avoid rejection at the SDM stage.