Steps
Each box is one situation. To see only yours, answer the questions above.
• Both Hindu (Buddhist, Sikh, Brahmo and Arya Samaj included), married by Hindu rites
• On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? Yes
• Where did the wedding take place? In India
1.
Choose the right Sub-Registrar office (SRO): the one for the place where the marriage took place, or where the wife or husband lived for at least six months just before the marriage. You can find your SRO on the department's website by district, mandal and village. A Hindu marriage can be registered any time after the wedding; there is no time limit.
• Both Hindu (Buddhist, Sikh, Brahmo and Arya Samaj included), married by Hindu rites
• On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? Yes
• Outside India
2.
If the wedding took place outside India, rule 5(1) of the Hindu Marriage Registration Rules says the application may be made before any Marriage Registrar in Andhra Pradesh within one month of your arrival in the State. Ask at the nearest Sub-Registrar office first which SRO to choose.
🏛️ Sub-Registrar office (Marriage Registrar / Marriage Officer)
⏱️ within 30 days · Within one month of arriving in Andhra Pradesh (rule 5(1)).
Not confirmed: This proviso is in the 1965 Rules. A separate one-month limit after the wedding was removed in 2012, and the department's FAQ says there is now no time limit for registering a Hindu marriage. Confirm at the Sub-Registrar office whether this one-month rule for a wedding abroad still applies, and how to choose it in the online module.
• Both Hindu (Buddhist, Sikh, Brahmo and Arya Samaj included), married by Hindu rites
• On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? Yes
3.
If you cannot apply online yourself, go straight to the Sub-Registrar office with your documents: the department's circular tells the registrar to help walk-in couples fill in the online form and scan their documents.
🏛️ Sub-Registrar office (Marriage Registrar / Marriage Officer)
📎 Proof of date of birth of both, Proof of residence of the wife or the husband, Wedding invitation card, Photo of the wedding ceremony showing both bride and groom
Not confirmed: The circular offers this help 'till the system stabilises'; ask the office whether it still does. The village and ward secretariats' list of services also has a 'Marriage Certificate' service (Registration and Stamps); we found no official details of what it does or what it costs.
4.
On the Hindu marriage registration website, open an account with 'New Registration' (your name, email, mobile number and a password), then log in. Since 2023 Hindu marriages are registered only through this online module.
💻 Hindu Marriage Registration (Registration Department)
5.
Choose 'Apply for New Registration' and fill in the bride's and groom's details. Upload the documents as JPG, JPEG or PNG files, each under 1 MB. The department advises giving the wife's name both before and after marriage; names must match those in your passports and SSC certificates.
💻 Hindu Marriage Registration (Registration Department)
📎 Proof of date of birth of both, Proof of residence of the wife or the husband, Wedding invitation card, Photo of the wedding ceremony showing both bride and groom
6.
Pay the registration fee: online (through CFMS), or choose 'PAY AT SRO OFFICE' and pay at the Sub-Registrar office.
💻 Hindu Marriage Registration (Registration Department)
💰 Fee: ₹200 · The registration fee under the Hindu Marriage Registration Rules. There is no registration fee for an inter-caste marriage. ₹10 more if the Registrar registers it outside the office.
Not confirmed: We could not see how the online payment handles the fee waiver for an inter-caste marriage; ask the Sub-Registrar office before you pay.
7.
After you submit, print the acknowledgement: it shows the application number, the SRO and your slot date and time.
💻 Hindu Marriage Registration (Registration Department)
8.
On the slot date, go to the Sub-Registrar office together with three witnesses. The Registrar prints the application (Form A); both of you and the three witnesses sign it.
🏛️ Sub-Registrar office (Marriage Registrar / Marriage Officer)
📎 The online application acknowledgement (with the application number and slot date), Aadhaar cards of the bride, the bridegroom and the three witnesses, Proof of date of birth of both, Proof of residence of the wife or the husband, Wedding invitation card, Photo of the wedding ceremony showing both bride and groom
Not confirmed: The department's pages do not say clearly whether originals are needed too; take originals and copies, and ask the office.
9.
The Registrar prints, signs and seals the marriage certificate (up to five copies). By the citizen's charter it is due within an hour of both of you signing. Check the names and details there and then; tell the Sub-Registrar at once about any mistake.
🏛️ Sub-Registrar office (Marriage Registrar / Marriage Officer)
• Of different religions, or any couple who want to marry or register under the Special Marriage Act
• On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? Yes
10.
On the Special Marriage registration website, open an account with 'New Registration' and log in. Choose 'Intended Marriage (Section 11)' if you are yet to marry, or 'After Marriage (Section 16)' if you are already married.
💻 Special Marriage Registration (Registration Department)
11.
Fill in the details of the bride, the bridegroom and the registration office, and upload the documents. The office: the Marriage Officer (Sub-Registrar) of the district where at least one of you has lived for 30 days.
💻 Special Marriage Registration (Registration Department)
📎 Proof of date of birth of both, Proof of residence of both bride and bridegroom, Passport size photographs of the bride and the bridegroom
⏱️ within 30 days · At least 30 days of residence in that district before you apply.
• Of different religions, or any couple who want to marry or register under the Special Marriage Act
• Yes, by other rites; we now want it registered
• On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? Yes
• Of different religions, or any couple who want to marry or register under the Special Marriage Act
• On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? Yes
13.
Download and print the declaration form the website makes from your details. Get it signed by the persons it names, scan it and upload it.
💻 Special Marriage Registration (Registration Department)
14.
Pay the fee: online (pay the challan through CFMS and upload it), or choose 'PAY AT SRO OFFICE' and pay at the office. Then submit the application.
💻 Special Marriage Registration (Registration Department)
💰 Fee: The department's fee table: ₹120 for the notice of intended marriage and ₹240 for the Marriage Officer to solemnize it. The online module's user manual shows ₹200 on its payment screen.
Not confirmed: The department's fee page has two tables (older small amounts, and a 'Schedule of fees'), and the manual's screen shows ₹200. The fee for a section 16 application is not clear. Check the amount the website shows before you pay, and ask the office if in doubt.
• Of different religions, or any couple who want to marry or register under the Special Marriage Act
• No, we will marry before the Marriage Officer
• On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? Yes
15.
The Marriage Officer displays your notice of intended marriage at the office; if one of you lives permanently in another district, it is also sent to that district's Marriage Officer. Anyone may object within 30 days.
🏛️ Sub-Registrar office (Marriage Registrar / Marriage Officer)
⏱️ within 30 days · 30 days for objections.
16.
After the 30 days, and within three months of the notice, go before the Marriage Officer with three witnesses. You both and the witnesses sign the declaration, and each of you says, in a language you both understand, that you take the other as lawful wife or husband. You may also follow a form you choose, such as exchanging garlands.
🏛️ Sub-Registrar office (Marriage Registrar / Marriage Officer)
📎 Aadhaar cards of the bride, the bridegroom and the three witnesses, Proof of date of birth of both, Proof of residence of both bride and bridegroom, Passport size photographs of the bride and the bridegroom
⏱️ within 90 days · Within three months of the notice; otherwise a fresh notice is needed.
• Of different religions, or any couple who want to marry or register under the Special Marriage Act
• Yes, by other rites; we now want it registered
• On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? Yes
17.
The Marriage Officer displays a notice of your application at the office and has it put up in your village too. Anyone may object within 30 days.
🏛️ Sub-Registrar office (Marriage Registrar / Marriage Officer)
⏱️ within 30 days · 30 days for objections.
18.
If there are no objections, after the 30 days go before the Marriage Officer together with three witnesses. The officer registers your marriage.
🏛️ Sub-Registrar office (Marriage Registrar / Marriage Officer)
📎 Aadhaar cards of the bride, the bridegroom and the three witnesses, Proof of date of birth of both, Proof of residence of both bride and bridegroom, Passport size photographs of the bride and the bridegroom, Wedding invitation card, Photo of the wedding ceremony showing both bride and groom
• Of different religions, or any couple who want to marry or register under the Special Marriage Act
• On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? Yes
19.
The Marriage Officer makes out the marriage certificate; both of you and the three witnesses sign it, and you are given the signed certificate. Check every detail there and then.
🏛️ Sub-Registrar office (Marriage Registrar / Marriage Officer)
• Both Hindu (Buddhist, Sikh, Brahmo and Arya Samaj included), married by Hindu rites / Of different religions, or any couple who want to marry or register under the Special Marriage Act
• On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? Yes
20.
Andhra Pradesh also has the Andhra Pradesh Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act, 2002 (amended in 2018). Under it the government has appointed Sub-Registrars and District Registrars as Marriage Officers. Ask the Sub-Registrar whether your marriage needs a separate registration under this Act.
🏛️ Sub-Registrar office (Marriage Registrar / Marriage Officer)
Not confirmed: We could not read the text of this Act or its rules (the India Code site refused our request, and the 2018 amendment order does not attach the Act's text). So its form, fee and time limit are not given here.
Other situations
On the wedding day, has (or will) the groom have completed 21 and the bride 18? No
This route is not for this situation.
A marriage is solemnized and registered under the Hindu Marriage Act or the Special Marriage Act only if the groom had completed 21 and the bride 18 at the time of marriage.
Married by Christian rites (in church)
This situation has another route.
A Christian marriage is solemnized under the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872 by an ordained or licensed minister or a Marriage Registrar, and the person who solemnizes it records it in their marriage register. Registration Department offices register marriages only under the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act. Ask the church that performed the marriage for its certificate.
Instead, see:
A marriage performed by other rites can also be registered at the Sub-Registrar office under section 16 of the Special Marriage Act: choose "Of different religions, or any couple who want to marry or register under the Special Marriage Act" above, then "Yes, by other rites".
Not confirmed: We found no Andhra Pradesh official page on where copies of church records can be had from a government office; ask the District Registrar's office.
Married by Muslim rites (nikah)
This situation has another route.
Registration Department offices register marriages only under the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act. A marriage already performed by other rites, such as a nikah, can be registered at the Sub-Registrar office under sections 15 and 16 of the Special Marriage Act.
Instead, see:
For that route, choose "Of different religions, or any couple who want to marry or register under the Special Marriage Act" above, then "Yes, by other rites".
Not confirmed: We found no Andhra Pradesh official source on who issues a nikah record and how; ask the Qazi who performed the nikah.