Eligibility for court marriage in Nepal
- The potential bride and groom must be at least 20 years old.
- The potential bride and groom must be unmarried, single, or divorced.
- The potential bride and groom must be outside a prohibited incestuous relationship, subject to exceptions that may apply in certain caste communities.
- There must be free consent between the potential bride and groom.
Documents required
- Citizenship or passport of the potential bride and groom.
- Citizenship or passport of two witnesses.
- Recommendation letter from the concerned local level or ward office of the permanent address regarding marital status.
- Recommendation letter from the local level or ward office regarding temporary residency, if court marriage is being done in a district court outside the permanent address.
- Passport-size photos of the potential bride and groom, at least four copies.
- Migration certificate, if the permanent address of the potential bride or groom changed due to migration.
- Divorce document, if the potential bride or groom was previously divorced.
Draft documents
- Application for court marriage, containing names, addresses, dates of birth, occupations, marital status, family details, self-declaration, submitted documents, witness details, signatures, and thumb impressions.
- Consent paper stating the free consent of the potential bride and groom to marry, signed with thumb impressions before the district judge and witnesses.
Court fee and certificate
- A court fee of Rs. 500 is paid while submitting the court marriage application to the concerned district court.
- The concerned district court issues the court marriage certificate to the married couple.
Marriage registration at the local level is different from court marriage. A couple can obtain a marriage registration certificate by registering the marriage at the local ward office.
