Legal Age of Marriage in India for Men and Women

The legal age of marriage in India is 21 years for men and 18 years for women. This is set by the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, which treats a man under 21 and a woman under 18 as a "child" for the purposes of marriage, and the same ages appear in the main marriage laws, including the Hindu Marriage Act and the Special Marriage Act. This guide explains where the rule comes from, what happens if it is broken, what changed (and what did not) after the 2021 bill to raise the age for women, and how the age is checked when you register a marriage. For the registration steps themselves, see our guide on how to register a marriage in India.

The minimum age of marriage at a glance

For most couples the rule is simple: the groom must have completed 21 years and the bride must have completed 18 years on the day of the wedding. "Completed" matters. A woman who turns 18 next month is still below the legal age today, so families should check dates of birth against the actual wedding date rather than the year of birth.

• Men: 21 years completed.
• Women: 18 years completed.
• Applies to: the whole of India, across religions, through the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, alongside the personal and civil marriage laws.

Being above the minimum age is necessary but not sufficient. Each marriage law has other conditions too, such as neither party having a living spouse and both being able to give valid consent. Our guide to court marriage under the Special Marriage Act lists those conditions for a civil marriage.

Which laws set the marriage age

Several laws work together, and it helps to know which one applies to your marriage.

• Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 (PCMA). The general law against child marriage. It defines a child as a male under 21 or a female under 18, makes child marriages voidable at the option of the party who was a child, and creates offences for those who perform, arrange or promote them. The official text is on India Code.
• Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. Section 5 lists the conditions for a valid Hindu marriage, including that the bridegroom has completed 21 years and the bride 18 years. It applies to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs. Text on India Code.
• Special Marriage Act, 1954. The civil marriage law open to any two people regardless of religion, with the same 21 and 18 age condition. Text on India Code.
• Personal laws of other communities. Christian, Parsi and Muslim marriages are governed by their own laws and customs, but the PCMA applies to everyone. How the PCMA interacts with Muslim personal law on age has been argued in several courts, and High Courts have not always taken the same view. If this question affects your family, take advice from a lawyer rather than relying on general articles.

Did the legal age for women change to 21?

Not at the national level. In December 2021 the government introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha to raise the minimum age for women from 18 to 21. The bill was referred to a parliamentary standing committee, and it lapsed when the 17th Lok Sabha was dissolved in 2024, because bills pending in the Lok Sabha lapse on its dissolution. A new bill would have to be introduced and passed for the national age to change.

Some states have acted on their own. Himachal Pradesh's assembly, for example, passed a bill in 2024 to raise the age for women to 21 within the state. A state bill of this kind generally needs assent before it takes effect, so check your state's official gazette or law department website for the current position rather than relying on news reports. Karnataka amended the PCMA in its application to the state so that child marriages there are void from the start, rather than merely voidable.

Because the law can change, treat 21 and 18 as the current national rule and recheck the official text on India Code before any decision that depends on it.

What happens if someone marries below the legal age

A marriage where one party was below the legal age is not automatically void everywhere in India, but it is not safe either. Under the PCMA:

• The marriage is voidable. The party who was a child at the time can ask a district court to annul it. The petition can be filed until two years after that person reaches majority, and a guardian or next friend can file on behalf of a minor.
• It is a criminal offence to arrange it. The Act punishes an adult man who marries a child, anyone who performs or conducts a child marriage, and parents, guardians or others who promote or permit one, including people who attend or take part in it knowingly. The punishments include imprisonment and a fine; the exact terms are in sections 9 to 11 of the Act.
• Courts can stop it before it happens. A magistrate can issue an injunction to prevent a child marriage, and a marriage performed in breach of such an injunction is void.
• Maintenance and children are protected. The Act provides for maintenance and residence for the girl, protects the legitimacy of any children, and lets the court make custody orders.

States appoint Child Marriage Prohibition Officers to prevent child marriages and help those affected. If you know of a child marriage being planned, you can contact the national Child Helpline on 1098, which the Ministry of Women and Child Development runs under Mission Vatsalya and which is linked to the 112 emergency response system, or inform the local police.

How age is checked when you register a marriage

Registration is where the age rule is checked on paper. Whether you register under the Hindu Marriage Act, the Special Marriage Act or a state registration law, the registrar or marriage officer asks for proof of date of birth for both parties. Commonly accepted documents include a birth certificate, a school leaving or matriculation certificate, or a passport; the exact list is on your state's registration portal. A few practical points:

• Make sure the date of birth matches across the documents you submit. A mismatch between a school certificate and an Aadhaar card is a common reason for delay.
• For a civil marriage, the notice period means the age must be met on the date of the marriage, not only on the date you apply.
• If either partner has been married before, the registrar will also want proof that the earlier marriage has ended. Our second marriage guide covers that situation.

Registration also helps later with paperwork such as passports and changing surnames, which our guide to name change after marriage explains.

Age, consent and family pressure

Meeting the legal age is the minimum, not the goal. Families arranging a match should make sure both people are ready and freely willing, and that the decision is not being rushed because of social pressure or a "good proposal" that might not come again. Both partners should be able to say no at any stage. If you are thinking about the bigger questions of readiness, our guide to honest questions to ask before marriage is a good place to start.