WHAT IS COURT MARRIAGE?

Court marriage means a marriage wherein the parties of any caste or religion get married without performing any religious or other ceremonies required under their respective religion and chose to get themselves tied in this relationship before an officer who is called as Marriage Officer. The Court marriage can be performed under Special Marriage Act as this Act is secular in nature. All the conditions set on in the Special Marriage Act, 1954 are required to be satisfied for such marriage.

WHAT IS MARRIAGE REGISTRATION AND PROCEDURE?

Registration of marriage takes place after the parties i.e. two persons of different gender, being of a marriageable age, have tied knot as per the rites and ceremonies required to be performed for a valid marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act.

The documentation required for a Court marriage to take place and for a marriage to get registered are different and these terms are not interchangeable terms. For Registration of marriage, the necessary proof required is the proof of such marriage having taken place eg. Marriage card, online/offline invitations, etc.

The above procedure is only for the Indian Nationals however if either of the party is not an Indian National, the procedure is different. For any foreign national to get married under the Indian Special Marriage Act, it is important to note that the said Foreign national must have a valid passport and visa valid at the time applying for registration. Further, the Marital status of the applicant must be verified from the concerned Embassy. The law of the country to which the foreign national belongs should not be in conflict with the Indian law for the marriage to take place.