• Registration of marriage in foreign country

I was married to a filipino national in Phillipines. Now we both reside in Dubai. How can we register our marriage in India. I am from state of kerala. What is the process documents needed and cost?
Asked 2 years ago in Family Law
Religion: Hindu

First answer received in 10 minutes.

Lawyers are available now to answer your questions.

8 Answers

You have to make application for registration of your marriage before marriage registrar under provisions of special marriage act 

 

2) Both partners need to fill the relevant application form, sign it, and submit it, along with photocopies of the necessary documents , such as age proof and address proof

3) The following documents are required for both the partners:

a valid Passport

original Birth Certificate showing parents' names

if the person concerned is widowed, the original death certificate of the deceased spouse

If divorced, copy of the final decree

documentary evidence regarding stay in India of the parties for more than 30 days (ration card or report from the concerned SHO)

4) affidavit by both the parties stating place and date of marriage, date of birth, marital status at the time of marriage and nationality and that the parties are not related to each other within the prohibited degree of relationship as per Special Marriage Act

6. Two passport size photographs of both the parties and one marriage photograph.

7. Marriage invitation card, if available.

8 If marriage was solemnized in a religious place, a certificate from the priest is required who solemnized the marriage.

Ajay Sethi
Advocate, Mumbai
94691 Answers
7527 Consultations

5.0 on 5.0

Hello, 

  1. You have to apply for registration in Kerala where you ordinarily reside. 
  2. The application form has to be attested by the embassy in Philippines for your spouse and she has to submit copy of her visa and single status certificate issued by the govt. Of Philippines. 
  3. The marriage can be registered after one month of application. 
  4. If you already have a marriage certificate issued by the govt. of Philippines, you can try to get the same marriage registered in Kerala. 

S J Mathew
Advocate, Mumbai
3547 Answers
175 Consultations

5.0 on 5.0

You can register you marriage under the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969

  1. Form of Notice of Intended Marriage (4 copies)
  2. Declaration (by prospective bride and bridegroom) (2 copies) 
  3. Sworn Affidavit (by prospective bride and bridegroom) (1 copy to be filled by    each)
  4. Four (4) identical recent passport size photographs of bridegroom and bride.
  5. At least one of the parties must have residence visa of Abu Dhabi/ Al Ain/Dubai. 
  6. The Indian national intending to get married should produce an affidavit of singleness attested through IVS.
  7. If one of the parties is other than Indian, No Objection Certificate /Affidavit (in respect of individual regarding his/her marital status and willingness to marry an Indian) from the concerned Embassy which should be duly authenticated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UAE.
  8. Three witnesses (holding residence visa of UAE) with their original valid passports.
  9. All the five persons are required to appear before Marriage Officer for signatures with their original passport and a photocopy both at the time of submission of form and at the time of solemnization of the Marriage (photocopy required only at the time of submission of form)
  10. After submission of form, Newspaper advertisement is to be given by the individuals in local English Newspaper as well as English Newspaper in the place of permanent residence indicated in the Passport in India/concerned Country. Text of advertisement is as under:
    ________ holder of ____________ Passport bearing No. ______________ issued at __________ on _________ and Ms. ______________ holder of ____________ Passport bearing No. _________ issued at _____________ on _____________ intend getting married at Abu Dhabi under the Indian Foreign Marriage Act.  Objections, if any, may be conveyed to the Embassy of India, Abu Dhabi within 30 days on Telephone No. [deleted] or by e-mail: [deleted].
  11. All the particulars must be filled in as per the details mentioned in the passport.
  12. The procedure may take a minimum period of 45 days from date of publication of advertisement.

 

Ravi Shinde
Advocate, Hyderabad
4041 Answers
42 Consultations

5.0 on 5.0

- Since you are residing in Dubai presently , then you can register your register the marriage with the help of Consulate under the Foreign marriage Act. 

- However for registering under the Special marriage Act in Kerala the following documents are required to submit 

  1. Birth certificates (for age proof)
  2. A valid visa of more than 30 days for the foreign national
  3. A single-status affidavit signed by both parties. In case one of the parties has married previously, the Divorce Decree (for divorcees) or Certificate of Death (for widowed) is necessary.
  4. Address proof and passport size photographs
  5. Adequate documentary evidence of 30-day residence in India
  6. A ‘no-objection’ letter from the US Embassy or Consulate, 
  7. Three witnesses are required, who have to provide passport sized photographs, as well as identification and proof of address

Further the following procedures are necessary

- 30 days residency requirement means that either the bride or the groom has to be living in India for at least 30 days prior to applying to the local registry office to get married.

- For foreigners, this is evidenced by a certificate from the local police station.

- If no objections to the marriage are received within 30 days of the application, a civil ceremony at the registry office will take place

- The marriage certificate is usually issued a couple of weeks after the wedding

- Cost depend upon the lawyer to whom you engaged for the said purpose. 

Mohammed Shahzad
Advocate, Delhi
13211 Answers
198 Consultations

5.0 on 5.0

if groom and bride belong to different religions or countries, they have to marry under Special Marriage Act, 1954 as they are not permitted to marry under personal marital laws

There exists a 30-day notice requirement to be given in India if one partner is permanently and the other partner is temporarily residing in India. Marriages between Indian and a foreign national also shall be registered under this Act. If one partner is residing in the foreign country, the ‘Marriage Notice’ form has to be filled by the partner in India and also the partner in the foreign country, which has to be resubmitted by the partner in India to the Registration office.

Before solemnizing your marriage, you should ensure that the following documents are ready:

  1. Birth certificates (for age proof)
  2. A valid visa of more than thirty days for the foreign national
  3. A single-status affidavit signed by both parties. In case one of the parties has married previously, the Divorce Decree (for divorcees) or Certificate of Death (for widowed) is necessary.
  4. Address proof and passport size photographs
  5. Adequate documentary evidence of 30-day residence in India
  6. 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.

T Kalaiselvan
Advocate, Vellore
84890 Answers
2190 Consultations

5.0 on 5.0

You may register your marriage before the Indian embassy where you live. 


If you want to register it in India then you may do it under the special marriage act.

Rahul Mishra
Advocate, Lucknow
14088 Answers
65 Consultations

5.0 on 5.0

If you are married under indian law then only you can register the same in India

Prashant Nayak
Advocate, Mumbai
31930 Answers
179 Consultations

4.1 on 5.0

Dear Client,

Firstly, it is important to understand if you are carrying a residence visa in UAE since you're residing in the UAE.

Hence, if you do have a residence visa in the UAE, you can register your marriage under the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969, at the Consulate of India in the UAE.

The details of the registration process have been mentioned below - 

1. A non-impediment certificate of the foreign national from his/her respective Embassy/Consulate. It should be duly attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of UAE. If the  Embassy/Consulate does not issue such a certificate, a Sworn Affidavit attested by the respective Embassy/Consulate needs to be submitted.

2. A certificate from the Consulate of the foreign national stating that his/her country’s respective law does not prohibit their nationals from marrying foreign nationals.

3. A total of five persons (couple + 3 witnesses) are required to appear before the Marriage Officer for signatures with their original passports and its photocopy, along with photographs of the Marriage Solemnization while submitting the form that would be provided.

4. After the submission of the Form, a newspaper notice is to be given by the couple for publication in local English Newspaper (UAE) as well as English Newspaper in India home country (at the place of permanent residence as indicated in the passport). The advertisement should contain the full text provided by the Consulate.

5.  A day prior to the date of registration of marriage, original passports of the couple and witnesses are required to be presented to the Marriage Officer.

6. On the scheduled date the couple, along with the three witnesses, need to come to the Consulate for registration of the marriage. They should carry their original passport.

Thank you.

Anik Miu
Advocate, Bangalore
8853 Answers
110 Consultations

4.7 on 5.0

Ask a Lawyer

Get legal answers from lawyers in 1 hour. It's quick, easy, and anonymous!
  Ask a lawyer