Uttarakhand eases marriage registration rules under UCC for people of Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet

The Uttarakhand government on Monday (October 13, 2025) approved a crucial amendment in the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bringing relief to citizens of Nepali and Bhutanese origin who are living in the State and do not have an Aadhaar card as identity proof to register their marriage.

Sources in the State government, who were part of the Cabinet meeting, stated that the government has permitted people from Nepal, Bhutan and even Tibet to register their marriage using a certificate from the Foreign Registration Officer.

“Under the new amendment in the UCC, foreign citizens will now be able register their marriages by uploading their citizenship certificate, residence certificate, passport, or valid identity card, whichever is more acceptable. In such a situation, citizens of these countries living in Uttarakhand who are already married or about to get married can register their marriage by uploading their documents,” the official said.

Historic and cultural ties

The official added that the aim of the amendment in the law was aimed to give respite to people of Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet, which not just share an international border with Uttarakhand but also have historic and cultural ties with the State in the form of residence, relationships, and marriage. Citizens of these countries are also part of the State’s social justice system, and therefore, it would be inappropriate to exclude them from any legal process.

According to the data provided by the State, since the implementation of the UCC earlier this year, the pace of marriage registrations has steadily increased with over 4 lakh people having registered their marriage on the UCC portal.

The UCC Bill, passed by the State Assembly in February last year, has kept tribal communities out of its ambit and provisioned complete ban on practices like halala, iddat, and talaq (customs related to marriage and divorce in Muslim Personal Law). It also ensures that women are given equal rights in matters related to property and inheritance rights.

The UCC also made it mandatory to register marriages and divorces, failing which the couple concerned will be deprived of the benefits of all government facilities. The code also has stringent provisions for failure to register live-in relationships. The children born out of a live-in relationship will be considered a legitimate child of the couple under UCC.