Trying to Register Marriage Form and Don’t Know How to Go About It? Fret Not! Here Are Some Tips to Do It Right and Not

The celebrations are over and you’ve finally settled into your new lives and routines. However, there’s the one really important thing you have to do and that is legalising your marriage. Having a marriage certificate at your behest is proof that the law recognises your marriage. This further helps you change names on documents if you need, apply for visas when going overseas or moving permanently & more. Wondering how you register marriage form, though? Here’s a step-by-step account of how to do it right and not get confused.

1. Online Form

Thanks to the power of the internet there are so many things you can do from behind your screens. To begin with you either fill the Hindu Marriage Act Form or the Special Marriage Act Form. The former holds applicable for a Hindu, Jain, Buddhist or Sikh couple and the latter for all others. To register marriage form, you need to start off with some basic information like name, age, date of birth, date of marriage, district of marriage etc. The portal where you can find this form depends on which state you belong to.

2. Payment

Once you fill up this form, go ahead and make the payment on a separate portal. Pay a fee of ₹100 on this portal. Once done, it provides you with a payment number which you then feed into the website you originally filled the form in. This essentially authenticates your payment and takes you to the next step.

3. The Documents

The next step of the process is submitting all the required documents. The four basic types of documents you need to register marriage form are age proof, ID proof, address proof and marriage proof.

• Age proof: Birth certificate, passport, school/college certification are some of the age proofs that you can present.

• The ID/Address Proof: Employee ID, Ration card, Driving License, Passport or Adhaar card can be used as badges of identity.

• Marriage proof: There are a number of marriage proofs you might have to present; such as a copy of the wedding invites, pictures encapturing the rituals like Saat Pheras and more.

Apart from these, there is a really important element in the process:

• The bride and groom’s file: This file is one of the most important parts. Not only does it have the above-mentioned documents but also affidavits, from the groom, groom’s parents and the bride and her parents. The parents essentially act as witnesses to register marriage form. All these are filed complete with individual passport size photographs and one which captures both your headshots in a single frame.

4. Appointment

Once all the documents have been submitted and approved, you will get a notification via e-mail. This e-mail provides you with an appointment date with the marriage registrar where you have to show up with your witnesses. On this meet, you also have to carry the hard copies of the documents you submitted so that the marriage registrar can approve them. Alas! With signatures on paper, you are all set and ready to be identified as legally married.

5. Say Cheese!

After the physical process of checks and approvals and all formalities required to register marriage form are done, you’ll have photos clicked along with the witnesses. This is done to ensure proof that process has taken place. And voila! You are ready to have your marriage certificate be posted to you in 15 days for Hindu marriage act and 60 days for the Special Marriage Act.

6. Offline Registry

There are some districts that do not register marriage form online, thus, your registration will take place offline. You’ll have to head to the sub-divisional magistrate’s office whose jurisdiction you fall under. The processes then are all the same except they are all offline.

7. Special Marriage Act

When registering under the special marriage act, you fill the application form, pay a fee of ₹150 and attach the receipt of the same along with the form. Almost all the same documents are submitted along with a proof of being in that district for more than 30 days. Rest, all the procedures stay the same.

We hope we’ve taken off the huge burden to register marriage form off your shoulders or at least made it a tad bit easier. It can get slightly taxing at times but this guide is sure to help you along the way. You’d be prepared for the next step and not have to worry about what comes next. Also, do not procrastinate on this because it’s an important document of identification. So the sooner you do it the better. Chop Chop!

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