While marriages performed according to rules in every religion are socially valid, but unless you get a marriage certificate from the government, the marriage can still be void. In this post, I will share how you can register a cour marriage online in India. We all also talk about traditional marriage vs. court marriage in the end.
How to Register a Court Marriage Online in India
We all have grown up watching Bollywood movies where it was commonly shown that lovers eloped because their families do not support their love. And finally, they end up getting married either in a temple or in a court. And they lived happily ever after.
The long and short of it is that our movies depicted the court marriage procedure as a typical “love marriage procedure,” where even if you do not get the permission of your family, you can still get married. All’s Well That Ends Well!!
Marriages Not Registered with the Court are Illegal
But life is not a movie. In older times, Court marriages used to be an alternative or optional for the couples who either wanted to keep their marriages self-effacing or they were marrying without the consent of their families. However, now as per the rulings of the court, registration of a marriage is a mandatory requirement, or the wedding will be considered illegal.
There is an essential difference between a traditional marriage and a court marriage. Where the former is governed by the customs and traditions of various respective religions, the latter is governed by the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
What to Know Before Applying for Online Court Marriage
It is true that as far as court marriages are concerned, the solemnization of marriage takes place without any discrimination based on caste, creed, or religion. Not only this, but Indian court marriages even allow a person to marry any person who is a foreigner. Following are the necessary steps to be followed to get your wedding registered:-
1) All the eligibility criteria which one needs to fulfill before going ahead with the court marriage as per Section 4 of the Special Marriage Act must be fulfilled.
2) If all the criteria are fulfilled, a notice has to be given to the marriage officer under Section 5 of the Special Marriage Act.
3) If the officer raises any objections, it should be clarified within a specified period, and submission of the requisite documents should be completed.
4) A declaration form should be signed by both the parties along with all the three witnesses, and the countersign should be done the Marriage Officer.
5) There is no specific rule prescribed for the place of marriage. As per Section 12 of the Act, the marriage can even be solemnized at the office of the Marriage Officer.
6) At last, a Marriage Certificate is issued by the Marriage Officer, who is signed by both the parties and all the witnesses within 2-3 hours.
There are specific fees for court marriage, which differ from state to state. It can be checked online.
Online Court Marriage Registration in India
If you want to solemnize your marriage through online registration, the process is straightforward. Just follow the below-mentioned steps:-
1) Go to the official Court Marriage website.
2) Carefully fill all the columns of the form and submit your online application.
3) After applying, click on the “Confirm” button, and you will be required to pay the booking amount of Rs 10,000 for the same.
4) Once the amount is paid, you will get the confirmation receipt on your mobile phone, as well as on your email. This step confirms your booking for a court marriage.
But, this does not solemnize your marriage. It is just an alternate way to avoid the registration confirmation through a personal visit to the marriage registrar office. Even though the process of applying for court marriage is online, one has to be present physically before the marriage registrar for their marriage to be solemnized.
Court Marriages v. Traditional Marriages
Though both types of marriages have their importance and preferences, there are many advantages of court marriage, which are not possible in a typical traditional marriage. Some of these benefits are:-
1) Court marriages, unlike the lavish traditional weddings, are simple and cost-efficient.
2) A court marriage gives legal recognition to the wedding, and it becomes a conclusive proof of the wedding.
3) If any of the spouses has to travel abroad, a marriage certificate is beneficial and essential for them.
4) Once the court marriage is done, you don’t need to apply for the registration of marriage again, as the court marriage itself completes the process of registration of the marriage.
5) If God forbid, there is a demise of any of the spouses. If he/she was a policyholder, the marriage certificate allows the dependent spouse to claim life insurance benefits or bank deposits.