How to register marriage in Uganda

Uganda recognizes five types of marriage; customary, civil, Hindu, Islamic and Christian marriages.  Image by Kan from Pixabay

In Uganda, marriage is celebrated as a union between a man and a woman agreeing to be together for the rest of their lives. For a marriage to be valid in Uganda, it must be registered. Marriages are registered by the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB).

All marriages are registered at the office of the registrar of marriages at the district where the marriage is celebrated and this is in the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

This article explores the registration processes for the different types of marriages recognized in Uganda:

• Customary marriage
• Civil Marriage
• Hindu Marriage
• Islamic Marriage
• Church Marriage

Why should you register your marriage?

Registering a marriage offers several practical and legal benefits that contribute to a couple's well-being and the recognition of their union.

These include spousal benefits, such as social security, pension rights, and insurance claims; protection of children, international recognition, and citizenship, among others.

More so, having a registered marriage can facilitate decision-making processes, especially in situations where legal documentation is required.

Customary marriage

A customary marriage is one which takes place according to the traditions or customs of a particular community or tribe.

A man can marry more than one wife under a customary marriage. Once you marry more than one person, you cannot have civil or church marriage with any of them.

Conditions for a customary marriage:

• Each of the parties must be 18 years and over; and must agree to get married.
• The intended bride and groom must get married according to the cultural rules and customs. For example, payment of bride price if it is required by culture.
• The parties should not be married to any other person in a civil or church marriage.
• Within 6 months after marriage, a customary marriage should be registered with the Sub – County Chief or Town Clerk of the area. The sub-county chief or town clerk will issue the applicants with a Customary Certificate.

To register a customary marriage the applicants will need;

• Photocopies of couple’s IDs and the witness’ IDs.
• A signed and stamped cover letter from the sub -county chief of the sub county where the marriage took place.
• A duly filled Form B (marriage certificate in the Format prescribed by law) signed and stamped by the sub county chief.
• Evidence of payments made in the bank. UGX20,000/= if registration is made within 6 months from date of customary marriage. UGX40,000/= If registration is made after 6months from date of customary marriage Once payment is made, the cover letter, photocopies of IDs and evidence of payment are submitted to the Office of Registrar for verification.
• An acknowledgement is issued to the applicant on the same day.

Note: A customary marriage can be converted into a Christian marriage or a civil marriage by having a church or civil marriage ceremony. Once the marriage is converted to civil and church marriage, it is no longer governed by customary law; but is now governed by laws governing marriages in Church or the District Registrar.

Civil marriage

This is a marriage which takes place at the office of the Registrar of Marriages. At the district level, a civil marriage is conducted by the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

Requirements for civil marriage in Uganda:

The couple planning to register a civil marriage should come with the following.

• A letter from the Office of the Prime Minister declaring the marital status of the intendant if any of the parties is a refugee.
• Proof of citizenship i.e. National ID or passport and for refugees; a Refugee ID and family attestation card.
• A letter from the Local Council 1 (LC 1) clearly stating that the intended has been residing in the district in which the marriage is intended to be solemnized for 15 days or more. For refugees, this letter is from the Refugee Welfare Council (RWC).
• One passport size photograph each for the groom and the bride.
• A photocopy of a VALID ID for each of the two adult witnesses.
• Registered marriage affidavits (commissioned and registered with URSB)
• Evidence of payment of the prescribed fees to any bank after generating a payment registration number (PRN) from the URA portal. 
• A filled in notice of Marriage Form (Form A) which can be downloaded from the URSB website.

In case one of them is divorced or widowed

For the case of Divorced/Widowed intendants to the marriage, certified copies of Divorce Decree Absolutes or death certificates shall be required.

• Translations for documents that are not in English.
• The Notice form, accompanying documents and receipts should be submitted to the Registrar of marriages of the district of Residence of one of the parties.

(For Kampala Residents, this may be done by scanning the documents as a single PDF file and sending via email to [e-mail])

• The Notice of Marriage is published on the Notice board of the District Registrar of Marriages for 21 calendar days.
• If there are no objections to the notice of marriage, the ceremony takes place in 21-90 calendar days. Marriages are celebrated from Monday to Friday, between 10 am and 4 pm.
• On the day of the marriage, the parties appear with the two adult witnesses before the Registrar who performs the ceremony and thereafter issues a Marriage Certificate (Form E according to the marriage Act).
• If there is an objection, a caveat is placed on the marriage and the matter is referred to Court for settlement.

Fees

UGX 260,000/- (Where one of the parties to the marriage is Ugandan or a Refugee) and USD210 (Where none of the parties to the marriage is Ugandan)

Hindu marriage

A Hindu marriage is a marriage which takes place according to the Hindu religion. After marriage, a marriage certificate is issued to the couple.

To register a Hindu marriage, the applicant needs to have;

• A signed and stamped cover letter from the Temple where the marriage was conducted.
• Duly certified copies of marriage certificate
• Photocopy of identification document of the couple,
• Evidence of payment of registration fees

UGX 35, 000 per copy for nationals and refugees
USD 25 per copy for Foreigners

Islamic marriage

An Islamic marriage is a marriage which takes place according to the Islamic faith. In the Islamic faith, a man can marry up to four wives if he treats them equally in all material needs and marriage responsibilities. A man can also choose to marry one woman.

Conditions for Islamic marriage:

• The intended bride and groom should not be blood relatives such as sister, brother, grandchild, niece, nephew, cousin, parent.
• The woman must not be in any other relationship or existing marriage and both parties must be Muslims.
• The groom man must give the bride “Mahari” or dowry. Mahari is determined by the woman. It is given to the bride, not her relatives.
• In case someone has been widowed or divorced, they must wait at least three months to remarry.
• The marriage ceremony is conducted in the mosque or the home of the bride by an Imam and a marriage certificate is issued.
• The marriage is registered within one month of the marriage ceremony.

To register an Islamic marriage, the applicant will submit the following to the front desk at Uganda Registration Services Bureau. (URSB)

A signed and stamped cover letter from the umbrella body to which the mosque that conducted the marriage subscribes for example the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC), Kibuli Mosque, Tablique.

Duly filled and signed (should also be stamped) or certified copies of marriage certificate.

Photocopy of the couple’s IDs and evidence of payment of registration fees.

Fees   UGX 35, 000 per copy for Nationals and refugees or USD 25 per copy for Foreigners

Christian/Church marriage

A church marriage is conducted in a place for Christian worship. Church marriage allows a man to marry only one woman and a woman to marry only one man. A person cannot marry another person when their church marriage is still valid.  

Conditions for church marriage

• The intended parties must be in a monogamous relationship (one wife one husband).
• The intended bride and groom must be at least 18 years old. People below the age of 21 years must get parental consent.
• Both parties must voluntarily agree to the said marriage.
• The intended bride and groom must not be related by blood for example sisters, brothers, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins.
• The marriage is conducted in a licensed church, a marriage certificate is issued and the marriage is filed with the Registrar of Marriages at URSB.
• To register the marriage, the applicant needs a cover letter (signed and stamped) from the church where the marriage was conducted, a filled and signed form F (available for download from URSB website) and evidence of payment of registration fees.

Fees UGX 35,000/= for Nationals and refugees

USD 35 for Foreigners

Contact the Uganda Registration Services Bureau

Uganda Business Facilitation Centre,

Plot 1 Baskerville Avenue Kololo

Kampala - Uganda

Tel: [phone]

Email [e-mail]

If you have any questions, please contact Tubulire  on Facebook via https://www.facebook.com/Tubulire.Info or send us a message on WhatsApp [phone]  from Monday to Friday from 08:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.