If you marry in India, we arrange registration under the Hindu Marriage Act within days of a religious ceremony, or a civil marriage under the Special Marriage Act with its thirty-day notice, and then have the certificate apostilled by India's Ministry of External Affairs so it can be lodged with a New Zealand partnership visa application.
- Document route
- Notary + DIA apostille, or Indian mission
- Time difference
- 6.5 to 7.5 hours ahead of IST
- Handled in India at
- Registrar of Marriages
- Travel to India
- Both spouses usually appear once
How it works from New Zealand
Before you land we prepare the application, affidavits and supporting documents, check that names and dates match both passports exactly, and book the Registrar's appointment for a few days after the wedding. Both spouses and the witnesses attend once. Where one partner is a New Zealand citizen without Indian origin, the Special Marriage Act applies and a certificate of no impediment from New Zealand will be asked for.
After registration the certificate goes for state-level attestation and then the apostille, and is couriered to you. Partnership-based visas also call for evidence that the relationship is genuine and stable, so keep the invitation, photographs, travel records and correspondence together with the certificate.
What is different for NRIs in New Zealand
- A Special Marriage Act wedding needs one partner to have lived thirty days in the district before notice.
- A marriage performed years ago can still be registered late with an affidavit.
- Errors on the certificate are slow to correct; check the draft entry on the day.
Step by step from New Zealand
Free review call
Calls are held in your late afternoon or evening, when the Indian day begins. We read your papers on a marriage registration first, so the call is about your options and not a repeat of the facts.
Authority from New Zealand
Where a representative must act for you in India on a marriage registration, you sign before a New Zealand notary public and obtain the apostille of the Department of Internal Affairs, or attend the High Commission in Wellington or the Consulate in Auckland. We draft the document and send signing instructions.
Work in India
In India, we book the Registrar, prepare the application and witnesses, and obtain the certificate with state and MEA legalisation. Updates for clients in New Zealand go by email and WhatsApp with scans of whatever is filed.
Result and handover
At the end you receive the legalised certificate ready for the visa or civil registry abroad. Originals are couriered to your address in New Zealand if you need them.
The law in full
This page covers what changes when you handle a marriage registration from New Zealand. For the Indian law, the complete document checklist, common mistakes and more questions, read our main page on Marriage Registration. For other matters, see all legal services for NRIs in New Zealand or the Family, Marriage & OCI practice area.
Questions from NRIs in New Zealand
How quickly can a marriage be registered in India for a New Zealand visa?
Within days after a religious ceremony under the Hindu Marriage Act. The apostille takes one to two weeks more.
Is an Indian marriage certificate accepted by Immigration New Zealand?
Yes, the registered certificate with an apostille is accepted as proof of marriage.
Can registration be completed during a two-week trip?
Yes for registration after a religious wedding, if documents are prepared in advance. A civil marriage under the Special Marriage Act needs the thirty-day notice.