Preparing a wedding to-do list is a common task performed when someone gets married so that no important task gets missed. But everyone forgets about adding ‘Marriage Registration’ to the list. Registering a Marriage is as important as getting married. The reason is that the marriage certificate is legally recognized and it facilitates the legal rights of both the parties. Moreover, seeing the injustice done to women, the Supreme Court made marriage registration mandatory in 2006.
Obtaining
a Marriage Certificate is Important
Apart from being a legitimate proof, the marriage
certificate is also required for other official works and to claim legal rights
as explained below:
While applying for a
passport or opening a bank account post-wedding with a new surname, the
certificate will be important.
To travel abroad on a spouse
visa or to apply for a residency of another country, showing the marriage
certificate will be mandatory.
To buy property together and
for its registration under joint ownership, the marriage certificate will be
very important.
Even to apply for a home
loan together, the couple is going to need the certificate that proves the
marriage has been registered.
If one of the spouses dies,
a legally registered marriage will make life simpler for the living partner.
Even to claim life insurance
upon the death of a partner, the spouse will need to show the document.
If the couple has to face a divorce, the process of separation will be
easy if you have the marriage certificate.
Both the parties will also
have their legal rights if things between them have become adverse.
Furthermore, Marriage registration depends on
the religions of
both the parties involved.
If both the husband and the
wife are Hindu, Sikh, Jain or Buddhist, marriage will be registered under the Hindu
Marriage Act, 1955.
If one of the parties is
Muslim, Christian, Parsi, or Jewish, marriage will be registered under the
Special Marriage Act, 1954.
However, the registration under both the Acts
does not make a major difference but the processes will be dissimilar.
Online
and Offline Marriage Registration in India
For
offline marriage registration:
Under the Hindu Marriage
Act, the couple has to apply to the sub-registrar under whose jurisdiction the marriage was formalized.
The couple can also apply to the registrar under whose jurisdiction any of them
has lived for at least six months.
Under the Special Marriage
Act, the couple has to give a 30-day notice to the sub-registrar under whose
jurisdiction at least one of the partners has lived. The copy of this notice is
placed on the sub-registrar’s office board for a period of 30 days.
If there is no objection to the marriage
within the period of 30 days, the marriage is then registered.
For
online marriage registration:
To avoid the hassle of visiting the
government office at regular intervals, there is another option i.e. online
marriage registration. The online process involves the following steps:
Download the marriage
registration form online.
Go through the procedure of registration.
Select the district and
enter the required details in the online form.
Afterward, the couple will get a particular
date that will be around 15 days later under the Hindu Marriage Act or 60 days
later under the Special Marriage Act. On that date, they have to present at the
office along with certain mandatory documents as well as two witnesses who have
attended the wedding.
Also, if you have not registered your
marriage, don’t think that you are legally single. Marriage registration must
be done as soon as the rituals are over and within 30 days of the marriage so as to avoid any
inconvenience as well as the penalty that has been recently implemented by the
Indian government. So waste no time and get your marriage legally recognized.
