Marriage Registration Procedures & Requirements in Nigeria

Marriage Registration Procedures in Nigeria – The word marriage has different definitions and different entities, based on cultural,religious and personal factors.  The word marriage is  the intimate union and equal partnership of a man and a woman.

The Purpose of marriage are listed below.

The Purpose of marriage

• Companionship
• Enjoyment
• Completeness
• Fruitfulness
• Protection
• Typify Christ and the Church

Before getting yourself involve in marriage, the first thing that should come to your mind is where can i register my marriage and what are the Marriage Registration Procedures. Below are the various Marriage Registration Procedures in Nigeria.

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Marriage Registration Procedures in Nigeria

The Marriage act provides for the office the Principal Registrar for Marriages and a deputy for each marriage district. Whenever a person desires to marry, one of the parties of the intended marriage must sign and give to the registrar a notice of intention to marry.

The registrar in turn shall enter the notice into the Marriage Notice Book and post a copy of the notice on the outer door of his office until after the marriage certificate is granted or for a 3 month period.

Below are Marriage Registration Procedures in Nigeria;

• The both parties should be resident within the district.
• Each party to the intended marriage should be above 21 yrs and if below, that requisite consent has been obtained in writing.
• Both parties are not kins or relations of each other or any relationship of affinity.
• Neither of the intended parties are married to others.

If the both parties meet up with the procedures above the Judge may by an order permit the parties to marry one another.

Couples from different Religion

REGISTRATION OF MARRIAGE IN CASE BOTH THE PARTIES BELONG TO DIFFERENT RELIGIONS

The marriage performed under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 is a civil contract and accordingly, there need be no rites or ceremonial requirements. Where either of the husband or wife or both are not Hindus, Buddhists, Jains or Sikhs, the marriage is solemnized and registered irrespective of the religion, under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

• Application form duly signed by both the parties.
• Documentary evidence of date of birth of parties.
• Residential proof of both the parties.
• Two passport size photographs of both the parties]
• Death certificate or divorce decrees whichever is applicable, in case one of the parties had any marriages in the past.

The sanctity of marriage is crucial to the moral fabric of every society. The Nigerian Marriage Act has clearly attempted to provide very solid benchmarks and requirements that would ensure that the very essence and sanctity of marriage is not violated or trampled upon. In doing this, the Marriage Act is invariably protecting the moral sanctity of the Nigerian society.