Marriages in India are regarded as valid in Germany if the legal provisions relating to those marriages were abided by. In addition, both the bride and groom must meet all legal requirements for marriage under the law of their home states (for example, they must be single, over a minimum age, and not too closely related to one another).

You can no longer get married in a German Embassy or Consulate General worldwide.

If one or both of you are German nationals and you wish to get married in India, you can do so either as per the following religious laws:
Hindu Marriage Act (if both are Hindus);
Christian Marriage Act (if at least one is Christian);
Muslim Tradition (if both are Muslims); or
you can get married in a civil ceremony before the local Registrar/Marriage Officer as per the Special Marriage Act.

Each Act necessitates a different marriage procedure and corresponding documents to be presented to the officials. Please check with the local authorities/temple/church/mosque.

If you wish to get married according to the Special Marriage Act, you may be asked by the local Marriage Registrar to give notice of 30 days before the intended date of marriage. Once that time period has lapsed, the Marriage Registrar is allowed to perform the marriage. The notice can only be given personally in India, if at least one partner is a permanent resident and the other a temporary resident in India.

You may also be asked to provide a “No-Objection Certificate” (NOC) by the Embassy or Consulate General to prove that there are no legal impediments in Germany to your marriage. We issue the NOC upon presentation of a recent German 'Ehefähigkeitszeugnis' (Marriageability Certificate, not older than 6 months) issued by the German Registry Office (Standesamt) of your last residence. The NOC costs the equivalent of €34.07, payable in Rupees, and is issued during your appointment at the German Embassy or Consulate General.

Additional documents to be presented to the Indian authorities are usually:
•your valid Passport
•original Birth Certificate showing both your parents' names
•if a fiancé is widowed, the original death certificate of the deceased spouse
•if divorced, copy of the final divorce decree.

In order to have your Indian marriage recognised in Germany (for passport or visa purposes or to register your marriage in Germany and obtain a German Marriage Certificate), it has to be formally registered with the local Indian Registrar's Office either according to Hindu Marriage Act, Christian Marriage Act or Special Marriage Act. Marriages according to Muslim Tradition must also be registered under Special Marriage Act.

The Registrar's Office will issue a formal Marriage Certificate with a registration number. Once presented to the Embassy/Consulate General, this Marriage Certificate will have to first undergo a formal verification process. For further details, please refer to the section Attestation of documents, signatures and copies.