Gujarat's Uniform Civil Code is now law on paper. The President gave her assent on 17 September 2026, and the state published the Gujarat Uniform Civil Code, 2026 in its gazette at the start of October. Within days, Ahmedabad's marriage registration portal was busier than it had ever been.
If your family is planning a Gujarati wedding this season, in Gujarat or elsewhere, you probably have three questions: does the new law apply yet, what will it ask of us, and is there anything we should do differently on the wedding day? This guide answers those questions from the published Code, official portals and October 2026 reporting. It also covers one detail most families overlook: in Gujarat, your printed or digital kankotri (wedding invitation) is used as a registration document.
Not legal advice. This is a plain-language explainer based on publicly available sources, read on 17 October 2026. The Code's commencement date and rules were still awaited at the time of writing. For your own case, check the official notification or speak to your Registrar or a lawyer.
What happened, in order
| Date (2026) | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 17 March | Gujarat Uniform Civil Code Bill published in the Gujarat Government Gazette after introduction | Gazette, Bill No. 17 of 2026 |
| 24 March | Assembly passes the Bill | New Indian Express, 2 Oct 2026 |
| 1 August | Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) moves marriage registration online | Divya Bhaskar, 30 Jul 2026 |
| 17 September | President gives assent | ET, 3 Oct 2026; The Federal, 5 Oct 2026 |
| 29 September | President gives assent to Assam's UCC | The Federal, 5 Oct 2026 |
| 1–2 October | Gujarat publishes the Act in the gazette | Gujarat Samachar, 4 Oct 2026; NIE, 2 Oct 2026 |
| Early October | AMC registration applications jump to roughly 700–800 a day from a usual 150–200, and verification slots stretch to 7–10 days | Gujarat Samachar, 4 Oct 2026 |
Gujarat is the second state with an enacted UCC after Uttarakhand, whose code has operated since 27 January 2025 (The Federal). Assam's code has also received assent.
The big point: the law is enacted, but not yet in force
This is the part that got lost in the rush. The Act says it will come into force on a date the state government appoints by notification (Section 1(2) of the Code as published). The Times of India reported on 3 October 2026 that departments would now draft the rules needed to enforce it, and the New Indian Express noted that its practical impact depends on the commencement notification and implementing rules. The Federal (5 October 2026) likewise says both the Gujarat and Assam laws come into force only from a separately notified date.
What this means for a wedding in the next few weeks:
- Until commencement, registration works as it does today, under the Gujarat Registration of Marriages Act, 2006, through your local registration office (in Ahmedabad, the AMC online portal).
- Registering under the 2006 Act is not wasted effort. The Code says a marriage already registered under the 2006 Act is deemed registered under the Code.
- There is no reason to panic-file, but there is every reason to register promptly. A marriage certificate is useful regardless of the UCC.
What the Code will require once it starts
These points come from the Code as published in the gazette in March 2026. Check the final notified text and the rules when they are released, because procedural detail (forms, fees, portals) is left to the rules.
| Topic | What the Code says |
|---|---|
| Ceremonies | Marriage may be performed by customary or religious rites, "including but not limited to" Saptapadi, Ashirvad, Nikah, Holy Union, Anand Karaj, Arya Samaji Vedic Vidhi, Nissuin and Mangal Fera (Section 5). Your rituals do not change. |
| Who must register | A marriage after commencement, in Gujarat or outside it, where at least one partner is a resident of Gujarat (Section 6). |
| Deadline | Submit a memorandum within 60 days of the marriage (Section 10(1)). |
| Where | For a wedding in Gujarat: the Registrar where the marriage took place or where either partner lives. For a wedding outside Gujarat: the Registrar for the place either partner belongs to. |
| Older marriages | Marriages in Gujarat between 31 March 2006 and commencement that were never registered: one year from commencement (Sections 7 and 10(2)). |
| Registrar's timeline | Act within 15 days of receiving the memorandum: register and issue a certificate, or reject with reasons after a hearing (Section 13). Appeals within 30 days. |
| Penalty for not filing | Up to ₹10,000 for wilful omission (Section 17). If the Registrar issues a notice and the couple still does not file within 30 days, a fine of up to ₹25,000 on conviction (Section 18). |
| Validity | A marriage is not invalid just because it was not registered (Section 20). |
| Records | Employers and government bodies should change marital status in records only on a certified copy of the registration certificate (Section 21). |
| Exclusions | Scheduled Tribes and groups whose customary rights are protected under Part XXI of the Constitution are outside the Code (Section 2). |
The age conditions stay the same: 21 for the man and 18 for the woman.
Who counts as a "resident"?
This matters for NRIs and families who have moved. According to The Federal's comparison, Gujarat's residence test includes ten continuous years of living in the state, plus other grounds such as birth to resident parents or owning property, for people without a domicile elsewhere. The Code also applies to Gujarat residents living outside the state. If your family's status is unclear, take advice before the wedding rather than after it.
Real situations, mapped
| Your situation | What to plan for |
|---|---|
| Wedding in Ahmedabad in December 2026, before the Code starts | Register under the current process. On the AMC portal you apply online, upload documents, book a verification slot, then attend with originals and two witnesses. |
| Gujarati couple marrying in Udaipur, Goa or abroad after commencement | The 60-day clock still applies if one partner is a Gujarat resident. File with the Registrar for the place you belong to in Gujarat. Collect your evidence before you leave the venue. |
| Married in 2015, never registered | Watch for the commencement notice. You will have one year from then. Many couples are registering now under the 2006 Act instead of waiting. |
| Inter-state couple, one partner from Gujarat | One resident partner is enough for the Code to apply. Agree early which registry you will use. |
| Assam family, wedding in Kolkata | Assam's code also awaits commencement. The Federal reports Assam gives 60 days for weddings within Assam and 90 days for those outside it. |
Why your kankotri matters
Most families think of the kankotri as stationery. Gujarat's registration offices treat it as evidence.
The AMC marriage registration portal lists the "Marriage Invitation Card or Proof of Marriage Date & Place" among required documents, and its application form asks for the kankotri "for place of marriage", for the bride's side and the groom's side, uploaded as a single PDF. Where no kankotri is available, the portal says an affidavit should be provided where required. The same portal lists:
- Memorandum of Marriage (two copies), notarised, with a ₹100 stamp paper
- Birth certificate or school leaving certificate for both partners
- Photo ID and address proof for both partners
- At least one joint photograph of the ceremony (the form allows up to five)
- One passport-size photograph each
- A certificate from the pandit or priest, or a nikah-nama from the qazi
- Photo ID and address proof of the priest and of two witnesses
(Requirements can differ in other municipal corporations and districts, and may change under the new rules. Check your local office.)
Gujarat is not alone. Karnataka's Department of Stamps and Registration, in its FAQ on online Hindu marriage registration, lists the wedding invitation card as a mandatory document. Your invitation is quietly doing legal work in more than one state.
What this means for how you design the invitation
If your family is going digital-first, as many are, keep these points in mind:
- Make sure a printable version exists. If you only send a video or a WhatsApp image, also keep a clean PDF of the invitation with names, date and full venue address. That is what you will upload.
- Use full names as they appear on ID documents, at least once. "Riya weds Kunal" on the cover is fine; the inside page should carry full names.
- Print the full venue address, not just "Shubh Vatika, SG Highway". The card is being used to prove place.
- Keep a version from each side. The AMC form asks for the bride's and the groom's kankotri where both families printed one.
- Do not edit the final PDF after the wedding. If the date or venue changed late, keep the updated version and a short note of the change.
- Save the website snapshot too. If you used a wedding website or digital invitation, from LoveSolutions or anywhere else, download the final schedule page as a PDF once the details lock. It is a useful supporting record even where only the card is formally asked for.
The wedding-day evidence kit
Assign one dependable cousin to collect these on the day, not a week later:
- [ ] Two printed kankotris (bride's side and groom's side), or the final PDFs saved in a shared folder
- [ ] Four or five clear ceremony photographs showing both partners and the ritual, with the priest visible in at least one
- [ ] The priest's name, phone number, a copy of their ID, and the certificate they issue (or the nikah-nama)
- [ ] Names, phone numbers and ID copies of two witnesses who can attend the verification visit
- [ ] Venue booking receipt or confirmation, with address
- [ ] A note of the exact date and, for late-night ceremonies, whether the rite finished after midnight
Late-night ceremonies need care. Some muhurats fall late at night. If the pheras finish after midnight, agree in advance which date you will write on the memorandum, and make sure the card, priest's certificate and memorandum all say the same thing.
Asking two witnesses: a message you can send
Witnesses are usually close family or friends who will be available for the verification visit after the wedding. Ask before the wedding so they keep the date free.
English
Hi Mama, a small request. We'll register our marriage soon after the wedding, and we need two witnesses to come with us to the registration office with their original ID. Could you be one of them? The visit will probably be in the second or third week after the wedding, and we'll book a slot that suits you. Thank you!
Hindi
मामा जी, एक छोटा-सा निवेदन है। शादी के बाद हम जल्द ही विवाह पंजीकरण कराएँगे, जिसके लिए दो गवाहों को अपने मूल पहचान पत्र के साथ रजिस्ट्रेशन ऑफिस चलना होगा। क्या आप हमारे गवाह बनेंगे? यह विज़िट शायद शादी के दूसरे या तीसरे हफ़्ते में होगी, और हम आपकी सुविधा से स्लॉट बुक करेंगे। धन्यवाद!
A simple timeline for families
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| When you print or design the invitation | Confirm full names and the full venue address on the card. Keep a print-ready PDF. |
| 2–3 weeks before | Ask two witnesses. Collect birth or school leaving certificates and ID copies for both partners. |
| Wedding week | Brief the cousin running the evidence kit. Ask the priest about their certificate. |
| Within a week after | Gather photos and documents, fill the online application, prepare the memorandum on stamp paper and get it notarised. |
| Within 2–4 weeks after | Book and attend the verification slot. Slots were reported at 7–10 days in Ahmedabad in early October 2026, so do not leave this to day 55. |
| Once the Code starts | Watch for official notices of the commencement date, forms and fees, and check whether anything in your process changes. |
What else to watch
- The commencement notification and rules. Until then, the deadlines and penalties above are not in force.
- Assam's commencement, if your family is from Assam.
- Other states. The Federal reports that Madhya Pradesh's assembly passed its UCC Bill on 21 July 2026, Rajasthan introduced one on 21 August, and Maharashtra's draft is being prepared. Rules will differ by state, so do not assume Gujarat's details apply elsewhere.
FAQ
Is the Gujarat UCC in force for weddings this month? As of 17 October 2026, the Act has been notified in the gazette, but the date it comes into force had not been announced, and its rules were still being drafted according to reports.
Does the UCC change our wedding rituals? No. The Code expressly allows marriage by customary and religious ceremonies, naming forms such as Saptapadi, Nikah, Anand Karaj and Mangal Fera.
We're having a destination wedding outside Gujarat. Does it still apply? Once the Code is in force, a marriage outside Gujarat must still be registered if at least one partner is a Gujarat resident, within 60 days, with the Registrar for the place you belong to.
Is our marriage invalid if we miss the deadline? The Code says non-registration does not make a marriage invalid, but it provides for penalties for wilful omission and for ignoring a Registrar's notice.
Can we use a digital invitation as the kankotri? The AMC portal asks for the kankotri as a PDF upload. A digital invitation that clearly shows names, date and full venue address is likely to serve the purpose, but confirm with your registration office, and keep an affidavit option in mind if you have no card.
Your wedding rituals will not change under the UCC. What changes is the paperwork, and much of that starts with the invitation you are already designing. Get the names and address right, keep a clean PDF, line up your witnesses, and the registration visit becomes one more small family errand rather than a scramble.