The document set is not one list — it changes with your route. Here is what is required for Hindu Marriage Act (Tatkal), Special Marriage Act, and NRI or foreign-national couples in Delhi NCR, and the errors that most often send a file back.
The documents you need depend entirely on which law your marriage is registered under. Applying the wrong list is the single most common reason a court marriage file is returned at the counter.
Broadly, three routes apply in Delhi NCR. Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (HMA) — where both parties are Hindu, Sikh, Jain or Buddhist and are already married by ceremony; this route qualifies for fast Tatkal registration. Special Marriage Act, 1954 (SMA) — for civil marriage of any two Indian adults regardless of religion, and for all inter-faith couples; this route carries the mandatory 30-day notice. NRI & foreign-national — an SMA marriage where one or both partners are NRIs or foreign citizens, which adds apostille and single-status requirements. The document set below is grouped accordingly.
This route registers a marriage that has already been solemnised by ceremony. Because it records an existing marriage rather than creating a new one, the document set is the lightest and same-day Tatkal registration is possible.
If either party was previously married, a divorce decree or death certificate of the former spouse is also required. The exact address-proof documents accepted vary by SDM — we confirm the correct set before your appointment.
The SMA creates a civil marriage and is the route for inter-faith couples and any couple choosing civil registration without a religious ceremony. It requires a 30-day public notice, so the file must be complete and correct at the notice stage.
The 30-day notice is fixed by statute. Under Section 5 of the Special Marriage Act it cannot be waived, shortened or paid to expedite by any authority. Anyone promising a same-day SMA marriage is not describing a lawful process. The correct planning is to file the notice early and prepare the file so it is not rejected — which is where the real time is lost or saved.
When one or both partners are NRIs or foreign citizens, the SMA still applies but additional documents are added — and the issuing authority and format differ by country. See the dedicated Special Marriage Act / foreigner page and the Single Status Certificate guide.
The SDM must have jurisdiction over at least one party's residence. A mismatched or too-recent address proof is the most frequent counter-level rejection.
An un-apostilled or wrongly attested single-status or divorce document will not be accepted, and often only surfaces at filing — after travel is booked.
A divorce that is final in fact but missing the certified decree copy stops the file until it is produced.
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Every marriage registration matter connects to a next step. These pages cover the ones most people ask about next.