Court marriage

Eligibility Criteria For Court Marriage

To qualify for a court marriage, certain conditions need to be met:

• • Age: The boy should be at least 21 years old, and the girl should be at least 18 years old.
Age Requirement:
The bride must be at least 18 years old.
The groom must be at least 21 years old.
• • Mental Soundness: Both parties must be of sound mind and not suffering from any mental illnesses.
• • Consent: Both individuals must willingly agree to the marriage. Forced or coerced marriages are not valid under the law.
• • Unmarried Status: Both parties should be unmarried at the time of the application for a court marriage. If either party is previously married, they must present evidence of divorce or spouse’s death certificate.
• • Not Close Relatives: The couple must not be related to each other within the prohibited degrees of relationship as defined by the Special Marriage Act.

Documents Required for Court Marriage

For a court marriage to be legally recognized, the following documents are required:

• • Proof of Age: Birth certificate or school leaving certificate, or passport of both parties to confirm their age.
• • Residential Proof: Any government-issued ID like Aadhar Card, Voter ID, Passport, or utility bills to verify the current address of both individuals.
• • Photographs: Passport-sized photographs of both the bride and the groom.
• • Affidavit: An affidavit stating that both individuals are unmarried, of sound mind, and have consented to the marriage. It should also mention that both parties meet the age requirement.
• • Witnesses: At least three witnesses (friends, family, or colleagues) are required to be present at the court for the marriage registration. They should carry valid ID proof as well.
• • Divorce/Death Certificate (if applicable): If either party was previously married, they need to present a legal divorce decree or the death certificate of the spouse.

Process of Court Marriage

• Marriage Notice: The couple submits a notice of intended marriage at the local court. The notice is then displayed for 30 days to ensure that no one objects to the union.
• Submission of Documents: Along with the notice, the required documents are submitted to the court.
• Verification: The court verifies the documents and checks if the marriage meets all the necessary legal requirements.
• Marriage Ceremony: Once the notice period is over, and no objections have been raised, the couple and their witnesses appear before the marriage officer to take an oath and sign the marriage register.
• Marriage Certificate Issuance: After the marriage ceremony, the court issues the marriage certificate, which is legally valid.