Sri Lanka: Information on marriage regulations and practices of Tamil Hindus; on whether there are restrictions on where a couple may get married; on whether a couple, over the age of 21, from Jaffna can still get married in Jaffna if their parents do not approve of their marriage; on whether a couple can only marry in the locale where they live; on whether the residences of the bride and groom on the marriage certificate can differ from the place of solemnization of the marriage; on whether both witnesses to the marriage in the registrar's office must either be relatives of or known to the bride and groom; on whether it is possible to have strangers as witnesses
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LKA19447.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: Information on marriage regulations and practices of Tamil Hindus; on whether there are restrictions on where a couple may get married; on whether a couple, over the age of 21, from Jaffna can still get married in Jaffna if their parents do not approve of their marriage; on whether a couple can only marry in the locale where they live; on whether the residences of the bride and groom on the marriage certificate can differ from the place of solemnization of the marriage; on whether both witnesses to the marriage in the registrar's office must either be relatives of or known to the bride and groom; on whether it is possible to have strangers as witnesses, 1 February 1995, LKA19447.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad45c.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
An administrator of the Tamil Information Centre in London, UK, stated in a telephone interview that approximately 98% of Tamil Hindu marriages in Sri Lanka are arranged by parents (17 Jan. 1995). However, it is possible, although rare and the exception, for Tamil Hindus to marry without the consent or approval of their parents. There is no minimum age requirement for marriage according to Hindu custom. According to Sri Lankan law, however, the minimum age for marriage is 18 for both a man and woman (ibid.). A community worker at the South Asian Women's Community Centre in Montréal stated, however, that although most marriages among Tamil Hindus of Sri Lanka are arranged by their parents, if a Tamil Hindu couple is no longer minor by Sri Lankan law, they do not require the permission or the approval of their parents in order to marry, nor can their marriage be prevented by the parents (25 Jan. 1995).
The administrator from the Tamil Information Centre stated that a Tamil Hindu couple can get married anywhere in Sri Lanka, regardless of where the couple lives (17 Jan. 1995). If a Tamil Hindu couple living in Jaffna and over the age of 21 want to marry in Jaffna despite the lack of parental consent, they can do so by marrying in the registrar's office. If they do not want to marry in their own division of Jaffna, they can be married in another divisional branch of Jaffna's registrar's office (ibid.). The community worker from the South Asian Community Centre stated that no length of residency requirement exists in order to be married in a particular town or city (25 Jan. 1995). Therefore, the marriage certificate of a Tamil Hindu couple could show the residence of the bride and groom as "Jaffna" and the place of solemnization of the marriage as "Colombo" (ibid.).
The administrator stated, to the best of his knowledge, a standard two week notice must be given the registrar before the marriage can take place, although a special marriage requires less notice (17 Jan. 1995). A special marriage can be arranged when the marriage is fixed to meet a deadline, such as travel plans. At the registrar's office, the couple to be married must provide proof of age and identity to the satisfaction of the registrar (ibid.). The birth certificate, which lists the individual's full name and date of birth, is often used as one source of identification. The national ID card, or any other ID card, can be used to provide the individual's home address (ibid.). The community worker from the South Asian Women's Community Centre stated that the bride and groom both have to show the national ID card to the registrar as proof of identity before marrying (25 Jan. 1995).
According to both sources, two witnesses must be present at the marriage ceremony (17 Jan. 1995; 25 Jan. 1995). The administrator stated that the witnesses, whether male or female, relative or friend, attest to the identification of the bride and groom. However, the witnesses cannot be minors and must, therefore, be over the age of 18. Furthermore, the witnesses have to provide proof of age, identity and home address (17 Jan. 1995). Although the community worker agrees that the witnesses can be either male or female, she stated that it is not compulsory for the witnesses to be related to or known to the bride and groom (25 Jan. 1995). She added that the witnesses are most probably required to present their national ID cards to the registrar to prove their identity (ibid.).
According to the community worker and the administrator, both of whom consulted Sri Lankan marriage certificates in front of them, the marriage certificate contains the following information regarding the bride and groom: full name, age, civil condition (i.e. single, divorced), rank/profession, race (i.e. Tamil or Sinhalese) and residence (town only) (25 Jan. 1995; 17 Jan. 1995). Both sources agree that, on the marriage certificate, the residence of the bride and groom can differ from the local where the marriage is solemnized. The community worker added that the following information is also found on marriage certificates: the district and division where the marriage takes place; the registration number; the full name, rank/profession/race of the fathers of the bride and groom; name and division of the registrar's office where the certificate is issued; the place of the solemnization of the marriage; the name of the registrar and the date of the marriage; the signatures of the bride and groom; the signatures of the two witnesses and their full name, rank/profession and residence (permanent address) (25 Jan. 1995). However, the administrator stated that the same information required of the bride and groom for the marriage certificate is also required of both witnesses (17 Jan. 1995).
Please consult the attached fax from the Sri Lanka Project at the British Refugee Council in London, which was sent to the DIRB on 9 February 1995. This fax provides additional information on these issues.
For information on the South Asian Women's Community Centre in Montréal, please consult the attachment faxed to the DIRB on 8 February 1995.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
South Asian Women's Community Centre, Montréal. 25 January 1995. Telephone interview with community worker.
Tamil Information Centre, London, UK. 17 January 1995. Telephone interview with administrator in office services.
Attachments
South Asian Women's Community Centre, Montréal. 8 February 1995. Fax sent to the DIRB.
Sri Lanka Project, British Refugee Council, London, UK. 9 February 1995. Fax sent to the DIRB.