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Do You Have to Convert to Get Married in India?

When Manisha and I started calling lawyers to find out how to get married in India, two we contacted said that I’d have to convert and that he’d supply the priest for that service.

Another foreign friend of mine was given the same wrong advice too.

The thing is, interfaith marriages are rare in India, so most lawyers have no idea about the Special Marriage Act which allows interfaith marriage without conversion.

I was a born Catholic, although I don’t follow religion anymore, I married a Hindu, and our marriage was signed off by a Muslim Government official.

This is all possible in India, so don’t let anyone tell you that you need to convert to any religion to get married!

I vlogged the entire process of Manisha and I getting married in Delhi, India under the Special Marriage Act 1954.

All you need to do is go to your local Sub-District Magistrate office and ask them what’s the process and what forms do you need to fill.

If you live in Delhi, the marriage certificate and registration process are detailed on the Government of Delhi’s website.

Karl Rock and Manisha Malik's Marriage Photo
This is our family in the Sub-District Magistrate’s office in Delhi while he’s signing our marriage documents.

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By Karl Rock

Karl Rock, is a Hindi speaking Kiwi ex-pat who take viewers behind the scenes of incredible India and its neighbours. He has visited every state and union territory in India, and its culturally similar neighbours – Pakistan and Bangladesh, and aims to make others fall in love with India and the subcontinent.

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