Online Marriage Registration in Delhi on e-District: Step by Step

Delhi moved marriage registration onto its e-District portal so couples no longer have to queue for forms. The online application is where most mistakes happen, though, because the portal accepts almost anything you upload and the problems only surface at the SDM office weeks later. This guide walks you through each stage of the online application and tells you what the officer will check when you arrive.

Before you start: what to have ready

Set aside about an hour and keep these on your computer as clear colour scans:

• For each spouse: an identity proof, a date of birth proof, an address proof and a passport-size photograph with a plain light background.
• For each witness: an identity proof and an address proof, ideally showing a Delhi address.
• Two notarised affidavits, one from each spouse, on e-stamp paper in the format the Delhi guidelines prescribe.
• Proof of the wedding: the invitation card, a certificate from the priest or officiant, and one or two wedding photographs showing both of you.
• Extra documents if relevant: divorce decree, death certificate of a former spouse, or embassy certificate for a foreign national.

Name every file clearly, for example bride-age-proof.pdf, so you do not upload the wrong document into the wrong slot.

Stage 1: Create your citizen account

Open the e-District Delhi portal and register as a new user. You will need a working mobile number for OTPs and a government identity document. Many couples register the account in the name of one spouse; that is fine, because both spouses’ details go into the application itself.

Use an email address and phone number you check regularly. Status updates and appointment messages come to the account holder.

Stage 2: Choose the marriage registration service

After logging in, go to the list of services offered by the Revenue Department and select registration of marriage. You will be asked which law you are registering under:

• Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 for Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist couples who already had a religious wedding.
• Delhi Compulsory Registration of Marriage Order, 2014 for marriages solemnised in Delhi under any religion.
• Special Marriage Act, 1954 for civil marriages and some inter-faith registrations, which involve a 30-day notice.

Choosing the wrong Act is the most expensive mistake at this stage, because it sends you down a different process. If you are unsure, read our comparison of marriage registration and court marriage first.

Stage 3: Select the right district and office

The portal asks you to choose the revenue district. Pick the district where either spouse lives, matching the address on the proof you will upload. If you married in Delhi but neither of you lives in Delhi, choose the district where the wedding took place.

A mismatch between the address proof and the chosen district is a common reason for rejection. Check our district guides, such as marriage registration in South Delhi, if you are unsure which district covers your locality.

Stage 4: Fill in the application form

The form has sections for the groom, the bride, the marriage and the witnesses. Fill them carefully:

1. Names. Enter names exactly as they appear on your identity proof, including middle names. Do not use nicknames.
2. Dates of birth. Use the date on your age proof. If your Aadhaar and Class 10 certificate disagree, sort that out before applying.
3. Addresses. Give both pre-marriage and current addresses where asked.
4. Marriage details. Enter the exact date and place of the wedding, matching your affidavits and wedding card.
5. Marital status before marriage. Unmarried, divorced or widowed, with matching documents.
6. Witness details. Full names, addresses and ID numbers of each witness.

Every one of these fields is cross-checked against your uploads and affidavits at the SDM office.

Stage 5: Upload your documents

Upload each document into its slot. Some practical rules:

• Scan, do not photograph, wherever possible. Blurred phone photos are a common cause of delays.
• Upload the whole document, both sides of Aadhaar and every page of a multi-page certificate.
• Stay within the size limit shown on the screen; compress PDFs rather than cropping pages.
• Upload the affidavits as scans, then keep the originals safe to submit to the office.

The official Delhi guidelines ask online applicants to send the original affidavits to the concerned SDM office, by hand or by registered or speed post, quoting the application or acknowledgement number. Do this promptly so your file is complete before the appointment.

Stage 6: Pay the government fee

Pay the fee online through the portal’s payment gateway. Fees depend on the Act and on whether you choose Tatkal. Delhi fee figures published online often conflict, so rely on the amount shown at the payment step. Save the payment receipt as a PDF. Our Delhi fees guide lists the components.

Stage 7: Get your appointment

After submission and payment, you receive an application number and an appointment at the SDM office. In busy months, appointments under the normal route can be some way off; Tatkal registration is prioritised for an additional fee. Write the application number down in more than one place. You need it at the office and to track your status.

Stage 8: Attend the appointment

On the appointment date, both spouses and the witnesses go to the SDM office with all originals, self-attested photocopies and the printed acknowledgement. The officer verifies documents, may ask a few questions about the wedding and has everyone sign. Our appointment day guide explains what to expect.

Stage 9: Download the certificate

Once the marriage officer approves the registration, the digitally signed certificate becomes available on e-District under your application. Download it, check every field and keep several copies. See how to download your Delhi marriage certificate.

A realistic timeline for the online route

Here is how a typical normal-route application runs when the documents are in order:

Day	What happens
Day 0	Wedding
Days 1 to 10	Collect documents, get affidavits notarised, confirm witnesses
Day 10	Submit the online application and pay the fee
Days 11 to 12	Hand in or post the original affidavits to the SDM office
Appointment day	Both spouses and witnesses appear in person; documents verified
Shortly after approval	Certificate available to download on e-District

The gap between submitting and the appointment is the part you control least. It depends on the district and the season, and it is longest in the winter wedding months. Applying well inside the 60-day window gives you room if an appointment is rescheduled.

Applying from a phone

The portal can be used on a mobile browser, but uploads are where phones cause trouble. Photos taken in poor light, shadows across a document or cropped edges all make verification harder. If you only have a phone:

• Use a free document-scanning app that flattens and crops pages, and export as PDF.
• Photograph documents on a dark, plain surface in daylight.
• Check each file by opening it before you upload it.
• Fill in long text fields on a computer if you can; autocorrect on phones changes names.

If the portal shows an error

Portal errors usually fall into a few types:

• OTP not arriving. Wait a few minutes and request again; check that the mobile number is entered without a leading zero.
• Upload rejected. The file is usually too large or in the wrong format. Compress the PDF or convert the image to JPG.
• Payment deducted but not reflected. Do not pay again straight away. Save the bank reference and check the application status after a few hours; failed payments are normally reversed by the bank.
• Session timeout. Long forms can time out. Keep your details in a text file so you can paste them back quickly.

If an error persists, the e-District helpdesk or the SDM office of your district can tell you whether the application was recorded.

Online application mistakes to avoid

Mistake	What happens	How to avoid it
Wrong Act selected	Application rejected or redirected	Decide between registration and court marriage first
Wrong district	Rejected for lack of jurisdiction	Match the district to the address proof
Name spelt differently from ID	Officer asks for correction or affidavit	Copy names from the ID document
Unclear scans	Officer cannot verify; may reschedule	Scan at good resolution, in colour
Original affidavits not sent	File incomplete on the day	Hand in or post originals with the application number
Witness details typed wrong	Witness cannot be verified	Copy from the witness’s ID

Keep a record of everything you submit

Save a copy of the submitted form, every uploaded file, the payment receipt and the acknowledgement in one folder. If anything is questioned at the SDM office, you can show exactly what was filed and when.

When to use a Citizen Service Centre or a professional

If you do not have a scanner, are unsure which Act applies, or have mismatched documents, a Citizen Service Centre can file the application, and a professional service can check documents and prepare affidavits before anything is submitted. Either way, the government fee is the same.

WedProof’s free document check reviews your papers before you apply, so the online application goes in right the first time.