Marriage Counseling / Court Marriage Registration India

Adequate documentary evidence of 30-day residence in India
A ‘no-objection’ letter – For instance, if an American citizen wishes to wed in a civil marriage ceremony he may be required to present to the marriage officer a ‘no objection letter’ from the US Embassy or Consulate, as well as proof of termination of any previous marriage if any. Similarly, a citizen of any other foreign country is required to present the no objection letter from the Embassy or Consulate of his/her country. The parties also have to wait at least 30 days from the date of initial application to formalize the marriage so that the marriage officer can publish a notice, which might even include a newspaper publication for giving an opportunity for any objections to the marriage to be voiced.

Is performance of rituals and ceremonies enough?

While we may associate a marriage in India with extensive rituals like walking around the fire, a lot of music and exchanging garlands, the Court has clarified that any couple, whether Indian, NRI, or a foreigner who wants to marry in India has to either perform a religious marriage ceremony or the civil marriage ceremony. Even if the marriage is celebrated under Hindu Marriage Act, Muslim Marriage Act, Christian Marriage Act and for the Parsee Marriage and Divorce Act.

Such Religious Marriage Ceremony in India is a legally valid marriage but it needs to be registered compulsorily. For VISA and immigration purposes a Marriage Certificate from Registrar of Marriages is a requirement. Getting your marriage registered may not be enough and you are often required to furnish a registration certificate which acts as adequate proof of valid registration of a marriage. There is no period of expiry for this certificate and a registered marriage, like any other form of marriage is valid until a divorce is obtained.