Introduction
A marriage is considered a sacrosanct relation in India. A lot of the communities in India believe marriage to be a bond for 7 life-times. As per the Hindu rituals, fire is considered to be the primary witness of marriage. However, that is only the social aspect. The legal aspect places reliance on documentary proofs. Though it is not mandatory under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (the central law governing marriages in India) to register your marriage, nonetheless, in the case of Ashwani Kumar, the Supreme Court had categorically opined that it wanted States to enact their respective state legislations mandating registration of marriage. The certificate which is given in lieu of registration and which constitutes prima facie proof of a valid marriage between the two is called the marriage certificate.
The marriage certificate document is important as it can validate any procedural irregularities that might have been committed while performing the marital rites and ceremonies. A marriage certificate can be handy in case you are applying for a dependent visa, to ensure the legitimacy of your child and their rights, to bring an end to child marriage, polygamy and marital frauds.
In case of a deceased spouse, you can claim life insurance easily.
The marriage registration is partially online. That means you can fill up your online application, upload documents, but to receive a marriage certificate you need to pay an in-person visit to the registrar office. Do not forget to carry all your documents and the witness.
Rules and eligibility for a marriage certificate in Gurgaon!
The rules and eligibility criteria for online marriage registration in Gurgaon is the same as what prevails in other parts of the country. The female must be above 18 years and the male must be above 21 years of age. Both must be sane and must have freely consented to the marriage. This means that the marriage must not have been conducted with any kind of undue influence, threat or coercion.
Marriage Registration Procedure
For marriage registration, the couple will have to go to the office of the Sub-divisional magistrate in the district in which they ordinarily reside or in the district where the marriage was solemnized. The couple will have to carry documents of proof of age, identity, or residence, proof of their marriage and must be accompanied by eye-witnesses from each side. The couple shall have to fill in the application form and pay the requisite fees. After verification, the marriage certificate shall be issued to the couple accordingly.
How To Apply for Marriage Certificate
In order to apply for online marriage registration, the couple will have to make an account:
You will have to log in to your account, select “Marriage registration”, and fill in the details. You may pay the fees online. You will get a receipt, a reference number to check the status of your application and an acknowledgment. Save these details. Take an appointment with the Marriage Registrar and carry the above named details along with him. After verifying the documents, the Marriage Certificate shall be issued by the registrar accordingly and will be delivered to your registered address.
What documents will be required to get a marriage certificate
The following documents will be required for marriage registration:
- Identity proofs of the couple
- Age proof of the couple
- Residence proof of the couple
- Proof of the marriage- This could be photos of the marriage, the wedding invitation card, the marriage hall booking receipt and with 2 adults, sane, eye-witnesses from each side.
- Photos of each of the parties to the marriage.
Marriage registration offices in Gurgaon
Gurgaon is divided into four zones. First, you need to find out the zone under which your locality falls.
Once you have this information, you can find out the zonal office of your area from below table
Note – A part of the Gurgaon also falls under the rural Gurgaon. The areas of Manesar, Sohna, and Badshahpur are in Gurgaon rural. If you are unable to find your locality in any zones, you most probably fall in the rural areas.
If you are from rural from Rural Gurgaon you would need to visit the tehsil office of your locality to register your marriage.
Marriage registration Fees
The fees for marriage registration in Gurgaon varies on the number of days you take for first applying for the certificate. The rate of the fees is as follows:
100 Rupees- If the application is filed within 3 months from the date of marriage.
250 Rupees- If the application is filed after 3 months but before 12 months from the date of the marriage.
300 Rupees- If the application is filed after one year of the date of the marriage.
FAQs
- Is it unlawful/illegal to not have the marriage registered?
No. An unregistered marriage is not an invalid marriage. However, there are many State legislation which has made registration of marriages mandatory. Therefore, it is advisable that one gets his/her marriage registered.
- Can marriages be registered online?
Yes, nowadays, one can apply for marriage registration online. However, one will still have to visit the office of the marriage registrar once for verification and other formalities.
- Is there a time limit for filing for a marriage certificate?
No, as such there exists no time limit for applying for a marriage certificate. But, the fees payable keeps increasing as time passes. Therefore, it is better if the couple applies for a marriage certificate within one month of its marriage.
- What is the importance of a marriage certificate?
A marriage certificate has immense importance. In case you want to apply for resident permits or visas of foreign countries and have mentioned about your spouse, the authorities abroad might ask for a valid marriage certificate.
Moreover, during divorce proceedings, if a person has a marriage certificate, that shall constitute prima facie proof of the marriage and the other spouse cannot be denied the factum of marriage.
- Is a Marriage Certificate issued free of cost?
No, like almost all other government, even a marriage certificate is not issued free of cost. The couple will be required to pay the requisite application fee which is usually around Rs. 100.
- Does a Marriage Certificate have an expiry date?
No, A marriage certificate does not expire after a fixed time and need not be re-issued or re-applied for after passage of some time. Once issued, the marriage certificate is valid for the lifetime of the couple unless they get divorced.
- Does a Marriage Certificate need to be canceled after divorce?
No, a couple need not separately apply for cancellation of marriage certificate after they have obtained a divorce. The divorce decree issued by the court shall itself act as the over-riding document after the divorce.
