What legal documentation should someone retain after marriage?
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Direct answer
Both spouses should retain legible copies of the completed Nikahnama, certified marriage registration certificate, identity documents used for registration and any receipt or attestation. Where relevant, records should also include agreed property or dower evidence, prior divorce or death documents, foreign legalization and translations. The Nikahnama should be checked before storage because a scan preserves mistakes as efficiently as correct terms. Originals belong in secure storage, while encrypted copies can be kept separately. Neither family should be the only holder of documents needed to prove the marriage.
Sources used
West Pakistan Rules under the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961
Pakistan Code, Ministry of Law and Justice
Official rules containing Form II, the standard Nikahnama, and marriage-register inspection provisions.View sourceConsular Services: Attestation of Documents
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Pakistan
Official requirements for marriage certificates, foreign-national marriages, overseas marriages, apostille and consular attestation.View sourceData Sharing with Consent
National Database and Registration Authority
Official privacy guidance emphasizing user-controlled, purpose-limited and revocable sharing of identity data.View source