Valentine’s Day Wedding – Couples tie knot in NIRA Civil Unions

The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has urged couples to register their marriages to avoid future complications. 

 

According to Rosemary Kisembo, NIRA’s Executive Director, failing to register a marriage can have severe consequences, including the risk of one spouse entering another marriage without the first partner’s knowledge.

 

Kisembo highlighted that registration is a simple and affordable process, costing only 35,000 shillings. 

 

She made these remarks today after officiating three weddings at NIRA’s Kololo offices. This was part of a larger Valentine’s Day celebration that saw 12 couples tie the knot, with nine more weddings taking place at the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) office.

 

The NIRA Executive Director encouraged couples to confirm their marriage registration status by inquiring with their spouses, churches, mosques, or wherever they exchanged vows.

 

“Oftentimes, marriage is surrounded by celebration, fanfare, customs, and details, yet the most important aspect – registration – is forgotten. On this day of love, I urge you to ask your spouse, church, mosque, or wherever you were married, ‘Is your marriage registered?'” said Kisembo. 

 

To make verification easier, NIRA is launching a search system on their website, allowing users to input variables and receive confirmation of their marriage registration status. 

 

“In about two weeks, we will launch a search system on marriages.nira.go.ug. Once you create an account on the website, you’ll be able to input specific details and receive confirmation on whether your marriage is registered or not,” noted  Vincent Katutsi, Commissioner of Civil Registration at NIRA,

 

Meanwhile Katutsi, explained the rigorous process involved in registering a marriage. “When you apply for a civil marriage, there’s a form that you fill. On that form, you give us particulars that we run against our register to ascertain if you are registered in any of the marriages,” Katutsi said.

 

Katutsi added that applicants are also required to swear an affidavit, stating their marital status. “If you lie about your marital status, you commit perjury, which is punishable by law,” he warned.

 

The registration process involves a 21-day waiting period, after which the registrar of marriages issues a certificate allowing the couple to get married. On the day of the wedding, the couple exchanges vows in the presence of two witnesses and is pronounced husband and wife.

 

To register a marriage in Uganda, couples can visit any NIRA office with their national IDs, proof of residence, and details of two witnesses. The certificate of marriage is issued shortly after the registration process is complete.