How to get married legally in Nigeria

Civil marriage in Nigeria is very important because it is recognized by the law and also serves as an evidence of a marriage contract between a couple.

Civil marriage in Nigeria is very important because it is recognized by the law and also serves as an evidence of a marriage contract between a couple.

Before having a civil wedding, there are some vital things you need to know that will prepare you for the process and guide your decisions on it.

This legal marriage is protected under the Marriage Act, Chapter 218 of Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990. There are two main marriage registries in Nigeria which are:

1. Federal Marriage Registries:

LAGOS – Ikoyi Registry (covers all those resident in Lagos, South-South, South East and South West)
ABUJA – Wuse 2 (covers all those resident in the Northern region)
2. All States have various Registries at the State and Local Government level.

Whichever kind of marriage registry you choose, the process involved in having a civil wedding follows the same guidelines which have been summarized below:

Filing of marriage notice:

Once you have decided to have a civil wedding, the intending bride or groom will obtain a form from their registry of choice to indicate their intention to marry. The form is a
You will also need to submit two coloured passport photographs.
The form is then posted on the
After the expiration of the notice and payment of the Prescribed Fee (this differs at each registry), the Registrar would issue a Form C after the following criteria has been met and satisfied:

That one of the parties has been resident within the district in which the marriage is intended to be celebrated.
That each of the parties to the intended marriage (not being a widower or widow) is twenty-one years old, and if under that age, the consent hereinafter made requisite has been obtained in writing and is annexed to such affidavit (meaning you have to get written permission/consent from the bride-to-be's parent or legal guardian).
That there is not any impediment of kindred or affinity, or any other lawful hindrance to the marriage
That neither of the parties to the intended marriage is married by customary law to any person other than the person with whom such marriage is proposed to be contracted.
Once the requirements mentioned above have been confirmed, the couple would swear an affidavit before the registrar or recognized minister of religion. During the sworn affidavit, the registrar would reiterate the above Prohibitive degrees and also explain the penalties involved.

Failure to disclose a breach in any of the above makes the defaulter liable to two years imprisonment.

Thereafter, the Registrar signs a declaration/affidavit to show that the couple understands the implications under the law and have met and satisfied all that has been required of them.

Upon proof that there is no lawful impediment to the proposed marriage, and that the necessary consent, if any, to such marriage has been obtained, the Minister will dispense with the giving of notice, issue the certificate, and grant his/her license, known as Form D, authorizing the celebration of a marriage between the parties named in such license.

The couple then selects a date for the wedding, usually within three months from the date the notice was placed with the registry.

On the wedding day, the couple alongside their family members and friends would go to the registry to finalize the marriage proceedings. There would be other couples that will also show up for their own celebration, and as such each couple is given a specific time that must be adhered to.

The ceremony is usually not longer than 30 minutes. During the proceedings, the Registrar would print the marriage certificates in duplicate and with counterfoils as in the FORM E. The officiating minister will fill up in duplicate a marriage certificate with the particulars required by Form E, and enter in the counterfoil the number of the certificate, the date of the marriage, names of the parties, and the names of the witnesses.

The certificate will then be signed in duplicate by the officiating minister, by the parties, and by two or more witnesses to the marriage. The minister having also signed his name to the counterfoil will deliver one certificate to the parties, and within seven days, thereafter file the same in his office.

Every Registrar will then register the marriage in a book called the Marriage Register Book, every certificate of marriage filed in his office according to the FORM F... and viola! You're married!

The civil wedding is by far the cheapest among the other types of marriage ceremonies in Nigeria, though it has got a longer process and all criteria must be met.

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https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/relationships-weddings/civil-wedding-how-to-get-married-legally-in-nigeria/t0p2y69

OP, some vital points u raised here are not consistent with the position of the law.
You stated that there are two types of marriage registries in Nigeria, namely Federal and state/local government marriage registries.
This is flawed because as u rightly stated:
"A legal marriage is protected under the Marriage Act, Chapter 218 of Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990".
Take notice of the phrase, "Marriage Act", which means that marriage is strictly withing the powers of the federal government of Nigeria, courtesy of the National Assembly, to regulate or make laws thereon. So it would be flawed to suggest that local governments should have marriage registries which issue certificates of marriage, when they have no powers to do so. Marriage is regulated by the ministry of interior, which is a federal government agency and it is only the marriage certificates issued on the authority of this ministry, that is valid. Any other marriage certificate issued without this authority is null and void and an empty valueless piece of paper. This is why in a recent judgement of the high court sitting at Lagos State, such marriage certificates issued by the local governments were declared to have been done without the authority of the ministry of interior and as such, null and void. That certificate of marriage is called Form E, which is contained in the Marriage Act and any certificate of marriage inconsistent with this Form E, is invalid. However, following the recent announcement by the ministry of interior on this issue, coupled with the judgment of the high court, any marriage done prior to this pronouncements are deemed valid because the parties themselves have committed no deliberate wrong. Hence they have to get a recertification of their marriage certificate, but several court decisions show that this is not mandatory to validate a marriage. Therefore, it is not every marriage registry that is a valid place of marriage, with the attendant powers to issue valid marriage certificates.
There are other factors to be considered in determining how to go about a valid marriage. Hola at me via my mail.
Cheers, OP.

Arrant nonsense..


Without the parents traditional blessings,marriage in the court is total bullshit


Nonsense Nigerian courts.

Illegal cohabitating and baby mama saga is the order of the day. For more information, contact Airforce1

Na for those wey still dey interested in the scam called marriage.

I heard the Islamic wedding is also legal and enshrined into our constitution

If you like, do a 20 million Naira traditional marriage and *white* wedding (except maybe you wedded in Catholic or Anglican), without a government recognised marriage, you aren't married before the law.


They will tell you not to contract any marriage after that, without ending the first legal one.

Some men do not like it because the woman benefits from such arrangement. You can't send the women away just like that without settling her, save maybe in case of adultery.


But we don't get married only to have irreconcilable differences or part.

Marriage, the scam institution people venture into so :

they don't get bored at old age

they get constant sex

they get someone to cook and wash

The reason married men and women go about chanting on all social media platforms about their wonderful marriage and how bachelors/spinsters are missing out is because misery loves company.

Believe them at your own peril.

We getting married this year..

goodnewscliff:
God knows I tried reading it..... I really tried

Damnnnnn niggarrr

You are a real niggarrr

I tried also

why am I only seeing one type of marriage here or is it my eyes

bluefilm:
Na for those wey still dey interested the scam called marriage.

If you are not interested then Sharap!!!

You mustn't comment

So all these Saturday-Saturday wedding owanbe, they are only married but not legally married

My choice

I really did not understand what you wrote here. There were so many missing texts that I didn't know how to continue again.

Give her belle and everything including the bride price will be reduced. Even the girl family go contribute for the remaining celebrations cost.

Na una sabi

Thanks for this. But I think both parties should decide how they want to get married too, from the angle of expenses, if not for the fact some people want to be noticed or greed, the traditional right shouldn't take much money, as well as the White wedding (Which is a duplication of certificate, if the Church is an instituted place of marriage under the law)

Okay ooo

check my signature

It more easier when all this process attached to church, all you just need to do is file for marriage in ikoyi, follow all due process and let them know you want to do it in your church, after all the due process required is met, then the court will give you an authorization for the church to go ahead, and then issue you wedding certificate through the church on the wedding day! � Very easy

God knows I tried reading it..... I really tried

Okay

A helpful info. Thanks.

What about traditional marriage and Islamic marriage under Sharia law? Are these not legal too?

cx

I'm opting for a white lady, I can't stand Nigerian women anymore with their entitlement mentality.

We need a counter thread

"How to NOT get married legally in Nigeria"

This is very helpful

I'm very sure a lot people don't need this, most people in the shackle dubbed marriage by some poetic religion institution need a counter thread.


Iya kamilu, my next door neighbour who came through window at the middle of the night with her baggage after taking in for her drunkard husband also need some legal backup to leave through the door when she can no longer cope with the nonsensical attitude of her husband.

Why do people that are not legally married need to visit the court before they can resolve their "union"?

Which one is legally and illegally?

There are 3 types of marriages in Nigeria.

Tradition
Religion
And of course court marriage.

All of the above are legal.

You can't expect someone to marry traditionally and Church and still go do court marriage. It's stupidity.

my piece of advice is that marriage isn't what someone should jump to...use your head

anyway do you wish to study or work in Australia,
Canada or US check my signature for more info