Can an NRI register a marriage in Delhi?

Yes. An NRI can register under the Hindu Marriage Act or the Delhi 2014 Order if the marriage has taken place, or marry under the Special Marriage Act, subject to the same rules as residents.

Do both spouses have to be in India to register?

Normally both spouses appear before the SDM. The Delhi High Court has held that personal presence under the 2014 Order can include virtual presence, and video appearance has been allowed in some cases. Ask about it before relying on it.

What documents does an NRI spouse need?

An Indian passport (or foreign passport and visa if a foreign national), date-of-birth proof, address proof in India or abroad, an affidavit, photographs and proof of the ceremony.

How quickly can an NRI get a marriage certificate in Delhi?

With Tatkal, often in about one day, if documents and witnesses are ready. Normal registration takes days to weeks depending on appointments.

Can an NRI do a court marriage in Delhi?

Yes, if one partner has lived in the district for at least 30 days before giving notice. The 30-day notice period then applies before the marriage.

Will a Delhi marriage certificate be accepted abroad?

Usually yes, once authenticated. For Hague Convention countries, get an MEA apostille; for other countries, follow the attestation chain for that country.

What does apostille cost?

MEA charges ₹50 per document for apostille. The outsourced agency charges ₹90 per document plus ₹3 per page, and state authentication comes first.

Should NRI couples use Indian or foreign addresses?

Use the address proof that gives the Delhi office jurisdiction, such as the place of marriage or an Indian residence. An overseas address can support identity but does not by itself give jurisdiction.

Can we register a marriage that took place abroad in Delhi?

Sometimes. It depends on the law under which you married and your residence. See our guide on registering a marriage solemnised abroad.

NRI Marriage Registration in Delhi: The Complete Guide

Q: Can a power of attorney register on our behalf?

Generally no. Registration requires the spouses' own declarations and appearance, so a power of attorney cannot replace them.

Every year, thousands of NRIs come home to Delhi to get married, often with only two or three weeks of leave. The wedding gets planned in detail. The marriage registration, which the spouse visa, the green card, the partner visa or the family residence permit will depend on, often gets squeezed into the last few days. This guide is for NRI couples and their families. It explains which law to use, what each spouse needs, how to fit registration and apostille into a short trip, and what to do when one of you cannot be in India.

Who this guide is for

An NRI marrying a resident Indian in Delhi.
Two NRIs marrying in Delhi.
NRI couples who married earlier without registering and now need a certificate.
An NRI marrying a foreign national in Delhi (with extra steps; see marrying a foreign national in Delhi).

The term NRI here means an Indian citizen living abroad. OCI cardholders and other foreign nationals follow the foreign-national rules for documents.

Step 1: Choose the right route

Your situation	Route	Minimum time in Delhi
Hindu, Sikh, Jain or Buddhist wedding held in Delhi	Hindu Marriage Act registration	Wedding plus appointment; Tatkal can make it about one day
Wedding of any religion held in Delhi	Delhi 2014 Order registration	As above
Inter-faith couple, or civil marriage wanted	Special Marriage Act (court marriage)	30-day notice period after giving notice; one partner must have lived in the district for 30 days
Married earlier elsewhere and never registered	Depends on where and how you married	See married outside Delhi

For most NRI couples with a religious wedding in Delhi, registration under the Hindu Marriage Act or the 2014 Order, with Tatkal if needed, is the fastest route. A court marriage takes at least 30 days after notice, which rarely fits a short trip unless the resident partner gives notice before the NRI arrives (see below).

Step 2: Plan the trip around registration

The most common NRI mistake is treating registration as an afterthought. Build it into the trip:

When	What to do
2–3 months before	Check documents for both spouses; get missing ones (birth certificate, divorce decree copies)
1 month before	Draft affidavits; confirm two Delhi-resident witnesses; ask the priest for a certificate
Arrival in Delhi	Notarise affidavits; keep passports and originals together
Wedding day	Collect the priest’s certificate and photos
1–3 days after	Apply on e-District; book a normal slot or Tatkal
Appointment	Both spouses and two witnesses attend
Certificate issued	Start state authentication and apostille immediately
Before flying	Collect apostilled certificate, or arrange for a family member to collect it

If your leave is two weeks or less, plan for Tatkal from the start.

Step 3: Documents for the NRI spouse

Document	Notes
Indian passport	Serves as identity, date-of-birth and often address proof
Indian address proof	Aadhaar or another Indian address document helps establish Delhi jurisdiction; otherwise rely on the place of marriage
Overseas address proof	Useful for identity and for visa purposes; does not by itself give a Delhi office jurisdiction
Notarised affidavit	On e-stamp paper, signed in India before a notary, or executed abroad and legalised as required
Photographs	As per the photo specification
Divorce decree or death certificate	If previously married; foreign decrees may need authentication and a translation

The resident spouse brings the standard documents. See documents required for marriage registration in Delhi.

Names must match passports exactly

Foreign embassies compare the names on your marriage certificate with those on your passports, letter for letter. If your Aadhaar says “Preet” and your passport “Preeti”, fix it or add a one-name affidavit before you apply, and make sure the certificate uses the passport spelling. See name mismatch in marriage registration.

Step 4: Jurisdiction when you live abroad

A Delhi office can register your marriage if it was solemnised within its area or if either spouse lives within its area. For NRI couples:

If you married in Delhi, the place of marriage gives jurisdiction, wherever you live.
If the resident spouse lives in Delhi, their address gives jurisdiction.
If you married outside Delhi and neither of you lives in Delhi, a Delhi office is usually not the right place.

Step 5: Presence of both spouses

Under the 2014 Order and the Hindu Marriage Act process, both spouses normally appear before the SDM with two witnesses. This is the step that most often clashes with NRI travel plans.

The Delhi High Court on virtual presence

In September 2021, the Delhi High Court (Justice Rekha Palli) heard the case of an NRI couple living in the United States, married since 2001, who could not travel to India during COVID-19 restrictions and needed a marriage certificate for green card applications. The court held that “personal presence” under the 2014 Order does not necessarily mean physical presence, and that the parties’ virtual presence could be enough. See can you register a marriage by video conference in Delhi?.

In practice:

Do not assume video appearance will be available; ask the SDM office in advance.
Expect to provide identity verification and possibly an explanation of why physical presence is not possible.
Where both spouses can attend in person, that remains the simplest route.

Step 6: Tatkal for short trips

Tatkal registration under the Delhi 2014 Order costs an additional ₹10,000 and typically gives you an appointment on the next working day or very soon after. For NRIs with limited leave, it is often the single most useful option. To make Tatkal work:

have every document checked before applying;
confirm both witnesses for the next day;
carry all originals to the appointment.

See Tatkal marriage registration in Delhi.

Step 7: Court marriage for NRIs

If you are an inter-faith couple, or want a civil marriage, the Special Marriage Act is the route. Its rules create specific challenges for NRIs:

30-day residence: at least one partner must have lived in the district for 30 days before giving notice. Usually the resident Indian partner meets this.
Notice period: after the notice, there is a 30-day period for objections before the marriage can be solemnised.
Three months: the marriage must be solemnised within three months of notice, or the notice lapses.

A practical plan is for the resident partner to give notice (with the NRI partner’s details and signature as required) so that the 30-day period runs before the NRI arrives, and to fix the marriage date for when the NRI is in Delhi. Check your district’s requirements for signatures on the notice. See court marriage for NRIs in India.

Step 8: Making the certificate usable abroad

Some visa authorities accept an Indian marriage certificate as issued (with a translation if needed), but many other foreign authorities, such as civil registries, employers and courts, want it authenticated. Depending on the destination, you will need one of:

Destination	What you need
Countries in the Hague Apostille Convention (for example, the UK, US, Canada, Australia and most of Europe)	State authentication, then MEA apostille
Countries outside the Convention (for example, the UAE)	State authentication, MEA attestation, then the destination country’s embassy attestation (and sometimes its foreign ministry in that country)

Apostille costs and process

According to the Ministry of External Affairs:

MEA charges ₹50 per document for apostille;
the authorised outsourced agency charges ₹90 per document plus ₹3 per page;
MEA does not accept documents directly from individuals; you deposit them through the outsourced service provider;
documents first need authentication by the designated state authority, unless covered by e-Sanad.

See how to get a Delhi marriage certificate apostilled and attestation vs apostille.

Translations

If the certificate or any supporting document is not in English (or the destination’s language), get a certified translation. Some authorities want the translation itself apostilled. See translating your marriage certificate.

Step 9: Using the certificate for visas

Each country has its own requirements, and they change, so always check the current official guidance. Our country guides cover the essentials:

NRI couples who married years ago

Many NRI couples married in Delhi years ago, never registered, and only discover the need when a visa or citizenship application asks for a certificate. You can still register:

under the 2014 Order, a late fee or penalty applies (the penalty can be remitted for reasonable cause, and living abroad is a common reason);
you need stronger proof of the marriage, such as old photos, children’s birth certificates and joint documents;
both spouses normally appear, unless video appearance is allowed in your case.

See registering an old marriage in Delhi and penalty waiver.

Can someone else do it for us?

Family members can help a great deal: collecting documents, booking appointments, depositing documents for apostille and collecting them. But they cannot register the marriage in your place. Registration needs the spouses’ own declarations and appearance, so a power of attorney cannot substitute for the couple. See can a power of attorney register your marriage?.

Common NRI mistakes

Leaving registration to the last two days of the trip.
Names that do not match passports.
Witnesses who flew in for the wedding and cannot attend the appointment or lack Delhi address proof.
No plan for apostille before the NRI spouse flies back.
Assuming video appearance is automatic.
Giving court marriage notice too late for the 30-day period to finish during the trip.
Foreign divorce decrees without authentication or translation.

Worked example: two-week trip, Tatkal and apostille

Rahul, an NRI engineer in London, marries Shreya in a Hindu ceremony in South Delhi on a Saturday. They applied on e-District for Tatkal on the Monday, with documents checked in advance and Shreya’s cousin and uncle as witnesses. The appointment is on Tuesday and the certificate is issued soon after. On Wednesday, they also start state authentication and MEA apostille, because Rahul’s UK employer and bank want an authenticated copy. Shreya uses the certificate, checked against both passports, for her UK spouse visa application, and Rahul’s father collects the apostilled copy and couriers it to London.

Worked example: inter-faith court marriage with an NRI partner

Sana lives in Delhi; her partner Daniel is an NRI in Toronto. Sana has lived in West Delhi for years. She gives notice under the Special Marriage Act with the required details of both partners, timed so that the 30-day notice period ends a few days after Daniel lands. They marry before the marriage officer with three witnesses during his three-week trip and start apostille immediately.

Worked example: married in 2012, registering from abroad

Amit and Kavita married in Delhi in 2012 and now live in Texas. Their green card process needs a marriage certificate. They plan a ten-day trip, gather old photos and their children’s birth certificates, apply under the 2014 Order with a remission request for the late penalty, and attend the appointment in person.

Key terms explained

NRI: Non-Resident Indian, an Indian citizen living abroad.
Tatkal: urgent registration under the Delhi 2014 Order for an extra ₹10,000.
Apostille: an MEA certificate that authenticates an Indian public document for use in Hague Convention countries.
Attestation: a chain of authentications used for countries outside the Apostille Convention.
30-day residence: the Special Marriage Act condition that one partner has lived in the district for 30 days before notice.
Virtual presence: appearance by video, which the Delhi High Court has accepted as satisfying personal presence in some cases.

One-line takeaway

NRIs register in Delhi like everyone else; the difference is planning: match names to passports, use Tatkal for short trips, line up Delhi witnesses, and start apostille the day the certificate is issued.

WedProof for NRI couples

WedProof plans registration around your flights: we check documents before you land, book Tatkal where needed, coordinate witnesses and handle state authentication and MEA apostille, with collection and courier if you have already flown back. Use the form on this page for a free check.