Marriage certificate has its own importance in the eyes of the government. It only gives a couple of legal marital status in society but also gives freedom to certain rights – financial and legal. In some cases, one must hold a marriage certificate to get the process done such as husband and wife applying for a joint account, passport, changing the middle name, child custody, divorce, and more.

Even the Supreme Court in 2006 made this official that marriage registration is compulsory to protect the interests of women. Women must register their marriage immediately after the ceremony, as it establishes their legal claim as a wife. You must know this piece of information that in India, a marriage is registered under two acts. One is the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955. Other is the Special Marriage Act of 1954 to officially claim the bride and groom as a married couple.

But what if someone has not registered about their marriage at the time of ceremony? Or they have zero knowledge of Marriage certificate and its importance. Can they apply for a new marriage certificate later? 

Yes, a couple can apply for a new certificate easily. The process is completely transparent and required some documents. After completing the legal proceedings, in a couple of days, you will get a new marriage document.

What documents are required to apply for a Marriage certificate?

To get your marriage registered officially, one must collect the following documents of the couple:

● ID Proof of couple. (For example Aadhaar Card)

● Copy of divorce decree(if filed for divorce)

● Residence Proof. (electricity bill or Passport)

● Date of birth certificate or document such as a passport

● Marriage Ceremony Photos and one family photo.

● Eye whiteness to marriage from both sides. (One witness must be bold relatives from both party) Also, passport size photograph, ID proof of all the marriage witnesses.

● Marriage hall receipt.

● Affidavits from the bride and groom.

Now, let’s understand the complete procedure to get a new marriage certificate.

How can I apply for a new marriage document after years of marriage?

One can apply for the marriage certificate, online and offline according to the choice. We will explain both the procedures.

Online Process 

Go to an official website to get a new marriage document.

Next, register yourself.

Select your district and later enter husband details.

Choose Registration of Marriage Certificate’ and fill the given form.

Now, pick a date of appointment and click on Submit Application.

Please Note – You will get an acknowledgment about marriage certificate and also a link. Take a print out of the acknowledgment and wait for the proceedings.

Offline Process  

Visit Sub-Divisional Magistrate on any working day in whose jurisdiction the husband or wife resides.

Fill the Application form duly signed by the couple.

Complete Verification of all the documents

All the eyewitnesses and family members (blood relations) must be present on that day.

Brief Overview: A Birth certificate in India is a vital legal identity document which serves as a primary document to establish the date of one’s birth. It is essential for multiple purposes such as during the voting, taking enrolments in schools and colleges, for obtaining identity documents like Passport and Driving license. 

A new birth certificate may be required in any of the following cases:

● New born

● Loss of original birth certificate

● Birth certificate was never issued

1. Required documents – A complete list of required documents will be needed to record your information.

2. Drafting – Once received your details, the concerned authority will draft an Affidavit and Authority letter. They will send you the soft copies of all documents for signatures.

3. Dispatch of documents – Then you have to forward the documents to them through post or other means.

4. Application submission – The entire application along with respective documents will be hand over at the office of the Registrar of births.

5. Collection and dispatch of Birth certificate – After the birth certificate is issued, it would take nearly 20-30 days after submission of application. They will collect the certificate and forward it to you through post.

Know What Documents are Essential for Obtaining a Birth Certificate

● The Affidavit of one parent or relative which could specify the date and time of the birth of that person.

● Photocopy of any of the following as a date of birth proof:

(i) Class 10th certificate

(ii) School leaving certificate

(iii) Aadhaar Card

(iv) Voter ID Card

(v) PAN Card

(vi) Driving License

● Photocopy of any of the documents for identity proof of one parent like Aadhar card, Voter ID Card, PAN Card, Driving license. 

● A proof of address where the birth of child happened. The photocopy of any of the mentioned documents will be sufficient:

(i) House tax receipt

(ii) Sale deed

(iii) Hospital record

(iv) House tax receipt

● A signed authority letter

How to Check the Status of Birth Certificate?

If you have applied for a birth certificate through online process, then you can check the application status by visiting the concerned website of the state government. There you need to give the application number for checking the application status.

However, if you have applied for a new birth certificate by offline process, then visit the office of the concerned department. For this you can contact the respective department or file an RTI application for getting the status of application.

Why is Essential for a Birth Certificate in India?

Birth certificate becomes necessary to establish the date and fact of one’s birth for varied purposes:

● During the time of voting

● New admissions to schools and college

● Enrolment in a Government service

● Affirmation for right to marry at the legally permissible age

● While the settlement of property rights

● For obtaining Government of India issued identity documents such as passport, driving license

If in any case a birth certificate is not registered within the stipulated time period, a certificate is issued after due police verification.

What is included in a death certificate?

A death certificate is deemed to be an official record where all the personal information of the expired is included. Although the death certificate forms are pretty standard, they vary from one to another and usually differ in the manner as to how someone has died, i.e. through cancer, murder or any other reason. 

1. The personal information of the deceased 

In the personal information section of the death certificate, details are included like the place, date of birth, name, and marital status, and parent and spouse name, residential address. 

2. Where was the place of death 

In this section, the place where your loved one has died is included. Apart from that the place and method of disposition i.e. cremation or burial and there are also details of the license number and the signature of the funeral service. 

3. Part 1: The cause of death 

In this area of the death certificate, you can find the medical examiner or doctors details as to the time and place of death where you can also find doctors mention as to what the cause of the death was i.e. anything which is underlying or anything which is immediate. 

4. Part 2: The cause of death 

In this area, you will find a little more detail, i.e. you might get to know if tobacco was the reason for the death. With regards to females, you might get to know if the expired person was pregnant at the time of her death. This section will also mention as to how the person died, i.e. if it was an accidental death, if it was a homicide or if it was a natural death. 

5. Other personal details 

In this section, you will find general yet important information like what was the race of the deceased person, what was his/her occupation and what was the educational qualification of that deceased person. 

From October 2017, it had become a requirement that Aadhaar card will be required if anyone wants to apply the death certificate of their deceased loved ones. This move was taken by the government so that the identity fraud will be curbed down where people will also not have to provide multiple documents in order to ascertain the deceased person’s identity. 

The Registrar General of India who is under the Home Ministry further conveyed that with the use of Aadhaar card for application, there will be the accuracy of details of the deceased person which might be provided by the relatives or acquaintances.  The residents of all the states will receive this provision except Assam, Jammu and Kashmir and Meghalaya where initially it was said that Aadhaar card might be an obligation but later on the government officials confirmed that the Aadhaar card is only a requirement where it is not an obligation. 

Thus, while looking in the death certificate, you might also find information about the Aadhaar card details of the kins or the relatives of the deceased person.