What about a civil wedding?
Every one dreams of a fancy, flashy and extravagant wedding. A talk-of-the-town-esque treat that will silence the village gossip peddlers. But one thing is for sure, these weddings do not come cheap. Legs and arms have to be sacrificed. Numerous meetings have to be organized. Then there is that ordeal of securing funds, organizing and the burden of moving up and down. (Which can be reduced if you use the mikolo app) Then losing friends over those dishonored pledges. Looking at these factors, most people decide to put the nuptials idea on the shelf and opt for cohabitating. A practice that is not only detested by the African traditional society but also religiously.
Unbeknownst to many, is that there is a cheaper much more effective option. And it is the civil marriage. It eliminates the drama of wedding meetings. Yes, you don’t have to kiss people’s ‘ass’ and bombard friends with Whatsapp messages every passing day. All you have to do is secure a certificate from the Uganda registration’s bureau or your local government headquarters and voila! You are married! Below is the procedure that you might find handy,
The Procedure
- Intending couple should appear in person before the Registrar of Marriages for an interview. They should be single, above 18 years and not parties to subsisting marriages.
- They should show up with the following:
- Proof of nationality for example a voter’s card, passport or National Identity Card
- An LC 1 letter to prove residence in Kampala district for at least 15 days
- A passport size photograph for identification
- Registered Marriage affidavits that conform with S.10 of the Marriage Act
- In case of foreign nationals, a letter from your Civil Registration or Vital Statistics Office confirming that the party is not married
- Where parties are between 18 and 21 years, they should in addition to 2 above submit:
- A birth certificate to prove parentage
- A consent letter from the father or mother or legal guardian
- A photocopy of the identification of the consenting authority
Refugees;
– Refugee I.D
– Bio Data from Office of the Prime Minister
- The intending couple fills in a notice of marriage before a registrar and is given assessment forms to make payments at any bank of his choice. Clients can also make self-assessment from the URA portal on www.ura.go.ug.
- The notice of marriage is pinned up on our notice board for 21 calendar days.
- If there is no objection to the marriage, the ceremony takes place between 21 and 90 days on Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm.
- If there is an objection, a caveat is placed and the matter is referred to court.
The Costs
The total fees payable to the government are Ugx 460,000 for Ugandans and Refugees and USD 210 for foreigners. The forms and statutory declarations, as well as obtaining certified copies of the certificate are approximately Ugx 240,000.
The Time Period
The entire procedure of civil marriage is usually between 21 days – 90 days.
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