NRI marriages: Registration to be mandatory
Saturday, 05/01/2013
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nri-marriages-registration-to-be-mandatory/1054913/
Punjab, through compulsory Registration of Marriages Act, will be first state in the country to make registration of marriages of Non-Resident Indian (NRI) and foreign nationals compulsory in the state.
Anil Malhotra, Senior Advocate who framed the booklet, ‘An Overview of Legal Issu’ which was distributed at the NRI Conference here today said: “These initiatives are the product of a long exercise which will help resolving maladies plaguing the system intrinsically as a result of lack of legislations to curb new generation problems created by a migratory regime of 30 million NRIs living in 180 nations overseas.”
“This directive led to the enactment of The Punjab Compulsory Registration of Marriages Act 2012, providing for compulsory registration of marriages solemnized under any law governing the parties irrespective of their religion, caste, creed or nationality. Any marriage solemnized in Punjab is now compulsorily registerable and even marriages solemnized outside the state can be registered at a place where parties have their temporary residence in Punjab. However, if the marriage is already registered elsewhere, it shall not be registered again in Punja,” he said.
Malhora said: “The most significant feature would be that for every NRI or foreign national, it would be mandatory to disclose in writing his or her passport number, country of its issue, period of its validity besides permanent residential/official address of overseas abode with social security number or any such permanent identification proof issued by his foreign country. All this information will be entered in the marriage certificate and the marriage register. Marriage would mean and include marriages solemnized or performed under Hindu Laws, Anand Marriage Act, Muslim personal law or under Indian Christian Marriage Act besides any other custom or personal law relating to marriages governing the partie.”
