Court Marriage Delhi
Kotwali · Old Delhi · Since 2015
Honest guide to court marriage for Kotwali Old Delhi — the heritage walled-city area near Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid and Lal Quila. SDM Kotwali serves the traditional Old Delhi families and Daryaganj boundary.
Kotwali is the historic heart of Old Delhi. The SDM Kotwali jurisdiction covers Chandni Chowk's residential pockets, Lal Quila boundary, Daryaganj fringe, Jama Masjid neighbourhood and the narrow gali areas of Hauz Qazi and Bara Tooti Chowk. The marriage case profile here is heavily traditional Old Delhi families — Punjabi, Jain, Hindu and a steady Muslim Nikah registration alongside SDM marriage. Sikh families from the Gurudwara Sis Ganj area also register at this SDM.
Jurisdiction pincodes: 110006 (Kotwali / Chandni Chowk / Daryaganj), 110002 (Daryaganj south fringe).
Old Delhi family registration? Call us — we know the gali pathways and SDM Kotwali workflow.
SDM Kotwali Office
Near Chandni Chowk
Old Delhi — 110006
Metro: Chandni Chowk (Yellow Line) or Lal Quila (Violet Line)
Walking: 7-10 minutes
By Metro: Yellow Line to Chandni Chowk or Violet Line to Lal Quila. The narrow Old Delhi streets make cycle-rickshaw the most practical short-distance transport from metro to SDM office (₹40-60). Cars cannot enter the inner gali areas during peak hours.
Heritage building with old-style layout. Single application counter, single signing room. Office hours 10 AM-6 PM Mon-Sat (closed Sun, 2nd Sat). Application 10:30 AM-1 PM, 2:30-4 PM. Signing 11 AM-5 PM.
Arya Samaj Mandir Daryaganj (2 km), Arya Samaj Mandir Karol Bagh Sarvadeshik Bhawan (5 km). For Muslim Nikah, we coordinate via mosque registration as documented on our Muslim Nikah Delhi page.
₹3,100 Arya Samaj + SDM. ₹6,100 Standard SMA. ₹12,000-15,000 Tatkal.
Aadhaar with Old Delhi pincode. Three witnesses, six photographs, notarised affidavit. Old-style hand-written family records sometimes need supplementary affidavits — we draft these.
Old Delhi's Muslim families often combine Nikah at a recognised mosque with SDM registration. We coordinate both. See Muslim Nikah Delhi page.
5-6 hours.
Yes, with supplementary notarised affidavits where needed.
Yes. We coordinate both. See Muslim Nikah page.
Use Chandni Chowk metro multi-storey; cycle-rickshaw or walk to SDM.
Daryaganj Arya Samaj.
Yes with one partner having 30-day Old Delhi residence.
12-18.
Yes, via Anand Marriage Act at Sis Ganj Gurudwara + Sub-Registrar.
Lifetime.
Old building, limited. Inform us for assistance.
Our staff.
No.
Best: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday between 11 AM and 1 PM. Acceptable: Friday morning, Saturday morning (except second Saturday). Avoid: Monday, first three working days of month, days adjacent to Muharram, Eid or major Hindu festivals (Old Delhi gets crowded). Closed: Sundays, second Saturday, central and Delhi-specific holidays.
Address proof: Aadhaar with Old Delhi pincode (110006). Daryaganj fringe (110002) also covered. Hand-written family records from older Old Delhi families need supplementary notarised affidavits — we draft these.
Name consistency: Aadhaar, Class 10 marksheet (or equivalent madrasa / school certificate) and marriage application names must match. Urdu-script name variations need a translated equivalence document.
Witnesses: Three witnesses each with original Aadhaar and second photo ID.
Photographs: Six passport-size photos each, white background, recent.
Affidavit: Notarised on ₹10 stamp paper with the four standard clauses.
Old Delhi has the largest concentration of historic mosques in the city — Jama Masjid, Fatehpuri Masjid, Sunehri Masjid and dozens of community mosques. Many Muslim couples in the Kotwali jurisdiction perform Nikah at one of these mosques and then register the marriage at SDM Kotwali under the Special Marriage Act. The Nikah-Nama is a religious document; the SDM marriage certificate gives the legal validity needed for passports, bank accounts and government records. We coordinate both — full process documented on our Muslim Nikah Delhi page.
Sikh families from the Gurudwara Sis Ganj area, Gurudwara Sheesh Ganj and the Bangla Sahib boundary register through SDM Kotwali. Two legal routes available — Anand Karaj at the Gurudwara plus Sub-Registrar registration under the Anand Marriage Act (amended 2012), or Arya Samaj plus SDM registration under Hindu Marriage Act Section 8. Both give full legal validity.
Many Old Delhi Punjabi-Hindu, Jain and Muslim families have children settled abroad. When they fly back for wedding registration, Kotwali is the natural choice because of family ties. NRI documents — passport, OCI/visa, apostilled single-status certificate, regular Indian-partner documents. NRI full package ₹15,000-20,000 including MEA apostille.
The cosmopolitan Old Delhi demographic produces a steady inter-religion case load. Legal route — Special Marriage Act, 1954. Allahabad High Court notice-opt-out honoured in clear cases. Police protection via Kotwali Police Station if needed. Complete process on our inter-caste marriage Delhi page.
Arya Samaj + SDM — ₹3,100 includes Daryaganj mandir ceremony, pandit fee, ceremony certificate, SDM Kotwali registration same afternoon, certificate, witness arrangement, all government fees, advocate fees, our staff escorting through the narrow Old Delhi galis to the SDM office.
Standard SMA — ₹6,100 includes 30-day notice, monitoring, signing arrangement, witnesses, certificate.
Tatkal SMA — ₹12,000-15,000 includes Tatkal application, government Tatkal fee, expedited review, same-day signing.
Full pricing on our Pricing & Packages page.
Old hand-written family records without notarisation. Many Old Delhi families have hand-written family certificates from decades ago. These need a supporting notarised affidavit before SDM submission.
Trying to drive a car to the SDM office. Inner Old Delhi galis do not allow car traffic during peak hours. Use cycle-rickshaw from the metro.
Photographs taken at general studios. Old Delhi studios know wedding photography but may not follow the SDM passport-size white-background specification. Insist on the SDM format or use a Bank Street Karol Bagh studio.
Couples near Kotwali also use our court marriage and Arya Samaj service in these adjoining Delhi areas. See the local SDM guide for your locality, or read the full Court Marriage in Delhi 2026 guide.