Marriage Registration Certificate in Delhi

Marriage Registration Certificate in Delhi is the official proof that the Government of NCT of Delhi has recorded your marriage in its register. The Department of Revenue issues it, and the registering authority is the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) working under the Deputy Commissioner of the district. Delhi runs the whole intake online through the e-District portal at edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in, but the actual registration still happens face to face at the SDM office on a booked appointment date.

Which law will your marriage be registered under?

Delhi registers marriages under two separate laws, and the route decides your documents, your witness count and your timeline.

The Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 applies where both husband and wife are Hindu, Buddhist, Jain or Sikh. Here the marriage has already been solemnised by ceremony, and registration only records it. Two witnesses attend, verification of documents is done on the application date, and the Revenue Department page states the certificate is issued within 14 days.

The Special Marriage Act, 1954 applies where the parties follow different religions, where one party is a foreign national, or where a couple simply wants a civil marriage instead of a religious ceremony. This route is slower by design: the Marriage Officer puts up a public notice inviting objections, and the marriage is solemnised and registered only after 30 days have passed with no sustained objection. Three witnesses attend on the final date.

A couple already married by ceremony can also register under Section 15 of the Special Marriage Act, and that route also carries the 30-day notice.

Who can and cannot apply in Delhi?

You can apply if the marriage was solemnised in Delhi, or if either the husband or the wife has been residing in Delhi and can produce Delhi residence proof. Both parties must have been of legal marrying age at the time of the marriage to 21 years for the man and 18 years for the woman, and both must have been of sound mind and capable of giving valid consent.

You cannot apply, or your application will be rejected, if either party was already married and that earlier marriage was neither dissolved by a decree of divorce nor ended by the death of the spouse. You are not eligible if the parties fall within the degrees of prohibited relationship set out in the Hindu Marriage Act, unless a custom governing both parties permits such a marriage. A marriage where either party was below the legal age on the wedding date cannot be registered on those dates.

What documents does Delhi ask for?

Delhi's Revenue Department page lists the application form signed by both parties, self-attested documentary evidence of date of birth, residence proof, affidavits from both parties covering the date and place of marriage and their marital status, two passport-size photographs of each party, photographs of the ceremony, and the marriage invitation card if you still have it.

Add a priest's certificate if the marriage took place at a temple, gurudwara, church or other place of worship. Add the divorce decree or the death certificate of the previous spouse if either party was married before. If one party is a foreign national, the Revenue Department asks for certification from that person's embassy along with a valid passport and visa.

Witnesses carry their own paperwork: each witness needs original photo identity and address proof on the appointment date. Under the Hindu Marriage Act you bring two witnesses; under the Special Marriage Act you bring three.

What does marriage registration cost in Delhi?

Delhi charges a small statutory fee that the e-District portal displays at the payment step, and the Revenue Department page separately notes a solemnisation fee of ₹150 under the Special Marriage Act. The correct figure is always the one the portal shows you before you pay; pay it online through the portal's own payment gateway and keep the receipt.

Delhi does not require a lawyer, a tout or a "marriage registration consultant" at any stage. Agents outside SDM offices routinely charge several thousand rupees for an appointment that you can book yourself in ten minutes on edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in. Nothing an agent does speeds up the 30-day Special Marriage Act notice, because that period is fixed by statute.

How to apply for a marriage certificate in Delhi online

1. Go to edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in and register a citizen account using your Aadhaar or voter ID, mobile number and email. Verify the account with the OTP sent to your phone.
2. Log in, open the Department of Revenue service list and select the registration of marriage service. Choose the correct Act — Hindu Marriage Act 1955 or Special Marriage Act 1954.
3. Fill in the marriage details: date and place of marriage, both parties' names, dates of birth, addresses and religion, and the details of your witnesses.
4. Upload the scanned documents; date of birth proof, residence proof, affidavits, photographs, the invitation card and, if applicable, the divorce decree or death certificate.
5. Pay the fee shown on the payment screen and note the application number.
6. Book the appointment date at the SDM office of your district from the slots the portal offers.
7. Attend the appointment with your spouse, your witnesses and all original documents. Under the Hindu Marriage Act the SDM verifies and signs on that date; under the Special Marriage Act the 30-day notice starts and you return after it lapses.
8. Download the digitally signed certificate from your e-District account once it is issued, or collect it from the SDM office.

How to apply offline at the SDM office

1. Visit the office of the SDM or Deputy Commissioner in the district where the marriage took place or where either party resides. The Revenue Department page gives public dealing hours of 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on working days.
2. Collect and fill the marriage registration form, attach the affidavits and self-attested copies of all documents, and have both parties sign it.
3. Submit the file at the counter with the fee, and take the acknowledgement with the date fixed for appearance.
4. Appear with your spouse and witnesses on that date for verification and signature before the SDM.

Even for the offline route, most Delhi districts now push applicants back to the e-District portal for the initial entry, so starting online usually saves a trip.

How do you check the status of a Delhi marriage registration?

Log in to edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in and open Track Your Application using the application number from your acknowledgement. The portal shows the stage, submitted, under verification, appointment scheduled, or certificate issued. Once issued, the certificate is available as a digitally signed PDF in the same account and can also be pulled into DigiLocker.

If the status does not move for more than the 14 days the Revenue Department publishes, the SDM office of your district is the first point of contact, followed by the office of the Deputy Commissioner of the district.

Does a Delhi marriage certificate expire?

A marriage certificate does not expire and does not need renewal. It records a fact and stays valid for life. You only return to the SDM office if you need extra certified copies, or if there is a spelling or date error to correct: corrections are made by moving an application with supporting proof to the same SDM office that issued the certificate.

Why do Delhi marriage registration applications get rejected?

The most common reasons are a mismatch between the date of birth on the school certificate and the date claimed in the affidavit; residence proof that does not actually establish residence in Delhi; witnesses who arrive without original identity documents or who do not appear at all; missing divorce decree where a party was married before; and blurred or incomplete uploads that fail document verification.

Applications under the Special Marriage Act also stall when an objection is filed during the 30-day notice period. The Marriage Officer must then hear the objection before proceeding.

Where do you complain if the SDM office does not act?

Raise the grievance first with the SDM office handling the file, quoting your e-District application number. If that fails, escalate to the Deputy Commissioner of the district, and then through the Delhi government's public grievance system at grievance.delhi.gov.in. The e-District portal also carries a departmental contact list showing the designated officer for each Revenue service, which is the correct person to name in a written complaint.