Jammu and Kashmir Marriage Registration Certificate

The government issues a marriage certificate as an official declaration of marriage occurring within a jurisdiction. The certificate is granted to the couple only after the registration of marriage. In this article, we look at the procedure for obtaining a Jammu and Kashmir marriage registration certificate in detail.

Benefits of Obtaining Marriage Certificate

In India, marriage registration is compulsory under law. Besides the legal framework, obtaining a marriage certificate serves various purposes. Some of the benefits are below:

Marriage certificate is a legal document which establishes the rights of women in marriage. Some of the women issues which mandate the certificate are as follows.
- It ensures the minimum age for marriage to prevent child marriages (girl brides).
- To help women to exercise their rights of shelter from husband and for custody of children
- To check bigamy or polygamy
- To act as a deterrent to husbands deserting their wives
Marriage certificate is essential for the couple to travel abroad using a spouse visa.
To possess a joint bank account of wife and husband requires proof of marriage.
While applying for a passport, to obtain a visa, a marriage certificate is necessary
Enables the spouse to claim life insurance return or bank deposits in the case of demise of the Insurer or depositor without any nominee.
A marriage certificate prevents abandonment. In the case of the death of either of the partners, a marriage certificate allows the inheritance of the property.

Registration of Marriage

The marriage should be first registered to get the certificate. To get the marriage registered, the couples have to apply to the Sub Divisional Magistrate under whose jurisdiction the marriage took place or where either of the spouses has stayed for at least of 6 months before the marriage. To register, any one of the following places should come under the jurisdiction of the Registering Officer:

Residence of the bridegroom.
Residence of the bride.
Solemnization place.

In India, the applicant can register a marriage either under the Hindu Marriage Act or the Special Marriage Act. The Hindu Marriage Act applies to Hindus, whereas the Special Marriage Act applies to all citizens of India irrespective of their religion.

Eligibility Criteria

The groom and the bride should comply with the following eligibility conditions to acquire the marriage certificate.

The groom and the bride should be a citizen of India and a permanent resident of Jammu and Kashmir to obtain the marriage certificate therein.
The groom should have attained the age of 21 years, and the bride must be 18 years of age at the time of the marriage.
At the time of the marriage, neither party should have a living spouse.

Documents Required

To apply for the marriage certificate, submit the following documents along with the application form:

Duly filled application form
Residence certificate or any other certificate to prove nationality and residential address.
Birth certificate of bride and groom
Death certificate in case of widow or widower for re-marriage
Order/Degree from the competent court in case of divorce
Panchayat report
Police verification report on submission of Form A
Passport-size photos – 4 each

Jammu and Kashmir Hindu Marriage Registration

A Hindu marriage that has been solemnized in the State should be compulsorily registered before the Registrar of Marriages. All Tehsildars should be the Registrar of Marriages for the whole of their respective Tehsils or Niabats. In the absence of Tehsildars, Naib- tehsildar will be responsible. The Hindu party should present the application for registration of Hindu marriage in the specified form before the Registrar of the local area where the marriage was solemnized. Both the parties to the marriage should appear personally before the Registrar while applying after which the Registrar will register the marriage and enter the particulars in the Hindu Marriage Register Note: If the Registrar is not satisfied with the personal identification, gives notice of the application and enquires. If satisfied, the Registrar will register the marriage or else will refuse the appeal.