Hindu Marriage Registration in Bangladesh: Process, Documents, Fee and Your Rights

In this guide: Is Hindu marriage registration compulsory? · How to register: step by step · Age, consent and documents · Hindu "court marriage" and interfaith marriage · Divorce and maintenance for Hindu wives

The short answer

A Hindu marriage performed by religious rites is valid whether or not it is registered. The Hindu Marriage Registration Act 2012 lets the couple register it with a government-licensed Hindu Marriage Registrar, on an application with details of both parties and two witnesses. The fee commonly cited is Tk 1,000. Registration gives the couple, and especially the wife, an official record for passports, visas, maintenance and inheritance. Hindu law in Bangladesh does not provide for divorce, but a wife can claim separate residence and maintenance.

Is Hindu marriage registration compulsory?

No. Under section 3 of the Hindu Marriage Registration Act 2012, registration is optional, and failing to register does not make the marriage invalid. This differs from Muslim marriages, where registration is compulsory and non-registration is an offence.

Even so, registering is strongly advisable. A registered certificate is the easiest proof of marriage for a passport, a spouse visa, a bank nominee, a maintenance claim or an inheritance dispute.

How to register: step by step

1. Find the Hindu Marriage Registrar for your area (upazila or city corporation).
2. Fill the application with names, parents’ names, addresses, dates of birth, and the date and place of the marriage.
3. Attach documents: NID or birth certificates of both, passport-size photographs, and details of two witnesses who attended the ceremony.
4. Sign before the registrar with the witnesses and pay the fee.
5. Collect the certificate or certified copy of the register entry.

A marriage can be registered after the ceremony, including years later, as long as both parties are available to apply.

Age, consent and documents

• Age: the bride must be at least 18 and the groom at least 21. A registrar must not register a child marriage.
• Consent: both parties should apply together. If one side refuses, the other may need court help to prove the marriage.
• Documents: NID or birth registration certificate, photographs, witness details, and proof of the ceremony if available (photos, invitation card, priest’s statement).

Hindu "court marriage" and interfaith marriage

An affidavit signed before a notary is not a marriage. A Hindu couple who want a legal record without a religious ceremony usually marry under the Special Marriage Act 1872, before a government-appointed registrar. Under that Act, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains can marry each other without giving up their religion. Marriage between a Hindu and a Muslim under that Act requires both to declare that they do not profess any religion, which has serious consequences for inheritance. Take advice first.

Divorce and maintenance for Hindu wives

Bangladesh has not enacted a Hindu divorce law, and the courts treat a Hindu marriage as indissoluble. A wife who faces cruelty, desertion or a second marriage by her husband can claim separate residence and maintenance under the Hindu Married Women’s Right to Separate Residence and Maintenance Act 1946. Maintenance claims go to the Family Court. She can also seek protection under the Domestic Violence Act 2010.