"No Objection" Letter (American-Indian marriage)

Hi all, long story short my long-term fiance/partner and I are finally tying the knot in India in December. He is Indian and I'm American.

I've just come across that I "may" have to present a "No Objection" letter from my government when registering for marriage certificate. Is this fact or not? Also when I go to the nearest consulate website I find this: http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/marriageinindia.html

...which reads like a lot of nonsense that basically says the US embassies don't issue this letter but they CAN charge me $50 to stamp an affidavit of mine that I'm not married?? Couldn't I just write my own affidavit and get it notarized locally?

Would love some advice in plain English! I'm tired of reading bureaucratic nonsense on websites ... trying to go for his US Visa soon so my brain is already spinning

Check it out with the Registrar's office. If they are cool with it. You may have to oblige the fellow..

Thanks - we will stop in on Monday and see. Will update when I find out more.

Do you mean we should be prepared for a bribe?

Anybody have experience with being asked/not asked for this form when registering a foreign/Indian marriage?

congrats ! the world is finally shrinking ,as the colour of the skin finally fades away

I didn't try to submit without it, but there was no charge for my No Objection certificate in Delhi in 2007 - have they quoted you $50?

It seems that the notary fee is $50, and at least in Chennai, the "no objection" they issue is a notarized affidavit that you are eligible to marry. Quite a pain in the backside if this is really required!!

Mine did have a stamp on it, but I don't think it was a notary, as there was no signature with the stamp - don't they usually have to sign or initial them? The good news is that, in Delhi at least, they seemed quite used to passing these out - it took all of 10 minutes. Likely the simplest part of our marriage process.

Bonus - Here's the verbiage on the NOC - see post #6:

Applied for marriage in Bhopal, MP

Nearly all consular services used to be free. The extra pages used to be same day gratis service. Now no longer They need all the $50s from ordinary people so that MR can get a tax-break

Interesting info, thanks. That's similar to the letter I read on the website of Chennai consulate. They have this printable letter posted:

"To whom it may concern
This office occasionally receives requests to provide “No Objection” letters concerning a person’s intent to marry in India. U.S. consular officers are expressly forbidden from making any official statement regarding a person’s eligibility to be married. Please find below the relevant excerpts from the U.S. Government regulations that govern what services a U.S. consular officer can and cannot provide. The complete regulations are available online at
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/86802.pdf.

7 FAM 1453.2 What Consular Officers Can’t Do
c. You cannot make any official certification about the status or eligibility to marry of persons residing in the United States who propose to be married abroad, or about the laws of the United States or of any of the fifty States or Territories about eligibility for marriage or the solemnization of a marriage.

7 FAM 1455.1 Foreign Countries' Requirements
a. Some countries require persons who wish to marry to provide written proof, issued by governmental authority, that there is no legal impediment to the marriage. No such document, or governmental authority to issue such document, exists in the United States.
b. In consular districts with such requirements, a notarized statement from the U.S. citizen party to the marriage, affirming that the citizen is free to marry, often is accepted in lieu of a governmental statement."


Perhaps this would be accepted? My partner is planning to speak with the registrar next week to find out specifically what documents he wants. Fingers crossed.. we're nowhere near an embassy here in Mysore! Let alone $50 for an embassy stamp is ridiculous ... at least I got my extra passport pages back when they were still free ...

very sorry.

Paa Ji (Nycank), can you please tell what does this "Gratis" means as I remember something like this is written on my Armenia Visa (1 Year Validity....4 months stay).

Complimentary ! Free !

Maybe because your are the Son-in-Law of Armenia

Latest update (for anyone who cares, or for future readers) ...

My lovely fiance inquired yesterday at the registry office, and I have been directed to get a "CC" letter (Clearance Certificate I believe) from the local police commissioner. Supposedly that will be enough for me as a foreigner to marry an Indian. Let's see if that goes according to plan. Hoping I really can get this as a "tourist" ...

Thanks for the update candycanegirl.

Final update on our case (I hope!):

After a lengthy wait at the police commissioner, I could indeed not get a police clearance as a tourist. Was again instructed to go to my embassy. We decided to consult a local lawyer who said I shouldn't need this letter, simply a personal affidavit. Turns out I didn't even need that when it came down to it, was not asked for.

The only thing I needed as a foreigner was a proof of my Indian residence (notarized lease).

I wouldn't advise that this is the requirement for all "tourist" to Indian marriages, simply in our particular case. The easiest thing to do was consult a notary office across the street from the registrar office. They handled and ran all our papers for us (and distributed the appropriate bribes, I'm guessing). They took care of it all and we are now just waiting for the final certificate!

These people could be writing best sellers!

Well, pulp fiction, maybe.

They don't know, they don't want to take responsibility, and they blurt out something like that. They can always tell the boss they saw a police clearance so it must be all right!

I still don't think there is any real legal difference in the law or procedure if one of the partners is not Indian. Not-Indians get married every [auspicious] day in India, but, because they have brown skin, the registrars don't stop to think about it. There is no reason to treat you any different to Smt Amrutha who has just flown in from New York to marry Venkatesh.

... except they will have a Hindu wedding, registered under the Hindu Act, and, to be fair to the registrars, I don't think they see many Special-Marriage-Act weddings. Ours was No. 6 for the year, and we married in December.