Religious Certificate For Live-In Couples? Uttarakhand Civil Code

Pragya Pathak

Author

Updated: 16-04-2025 at 12:34 PM

Religious Certificate For Live-In Couples

With time, many things have changed including the kind of personal relationships among us and one of those relationships is live-in relationships. Live-in relationships are among the most controversial topics, especially in a country like India. Couples who are in live-in relationships face a lot of backlash from society.

However, recently, the state of Uttarakhand has taken a ground-breaking step in making things better for live-in couples. The state govt of Uttarakhand implemented the Uttarakhand Civil Code (UCC) which comprises various personal laws including provisions for the registration of live-in couples by applying for a Religious Certificate.

Read the news article to learn more about the specifics of the new mandated rule and how the people in the state can go about it.

What Is A Religious Certificate?

Recently, the state govt of Uttarakhand implemented the Uttarakhand Civil Code (UCC) which carries provisions regarding couples in live-in relationships as well. Live-in couples who fall in the ‘prohibited category’ as per Schedule 1 of the act are required to apply for a certificate called the Religious Certificate which would help them in smooth registrations.

Schedule 1 of the act consists of around 37 prohibited relationships for both, males and females between blood relations or extended family members.

Features Of The Religious Certificate

There are some key features of the Religious Certificate that one should know about to properly apply for it:

Only those live-in couples who come under the prohibited category of Schedule 1 of the act are required to apply for a Religious Certificate.
The religious certificate is a mandatory document for successful and valid registration for live-in couples.
People who have lived in Uttarakhand for a minimum of 1 year can apply for the certificate. Permanent or native residency status isn’t compulsory. This allows non-permanent residents of the state to live in the state as a live-in couple.

What About Non-Prohibited Live-In Couples?

Couples who are in live-in relationships but don’t come under the prohibited category aren’t required to apply for a religious certificate. They simply are required to submit the following documents for successful registration:

Proof of residence
Aadhaar card
Birth certificate
Rental agreement

If an individual is divorced then they are required to submit a legal divorce decree or if they are a widow/widower then a death certificate of their late spouse.

Conclusion

The implementation of the Uttarakhand Civil Code by the state govt of Uttarakhand is one of the most unexpected things not only for the people living in the state but the whole country.

Live-in relationships are usually frowned upon and criticised by most members of society, however, people tend to forget that India is an independent country which means people have the right to decide where they live and with whom as long as it’s consensual.

The provisions laid out for live-in couples in both prohibited and non-prohibited categories would help them with easy registration with as many fewer hassles as possible.

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