After 21 years of marriage,you find out that your marriage is not legal...???

This is very unfortunate but the wife or her family members should have made sure to obtain a marriage certificate after the wedding was over. In India a marriage has to be registered otherwise it is not legal.Many a time people get married in haste by doing it in a temple but forget to obtain a certificate.Then they are in trouble when something is required. I don`t know what this lady is going to do, i feel sorry for her, but she should have been more vigilant.

That must be so hard, it's been 21 years and his husband keep it from her for a long time. I don't know if his husband also knows about it because sometimes the fault was on people who had processed there papers. If it's the guy's fault then i think that he is so selfish for doing that. He doesn't want his wife to get some benefits from him.

Hi! The wife needs to find out some proves like their past photos any documentary evidence to prove that the deceased was his husband and they lived like a legally married couple. I think if she search she will succeed.

Hello Jaiho I know in some countries the governmental laws does not accept the marriages by church or religion unless they have signed official legal papers about the matter, but maybe there is a chance to win this in the court? If she took her husbands name and gotten passport and other things after she changed her maiden name, then it seems wierd that it wouldnt be legal since passports are issued by the government/police/munipality in other words a lawenforcement institute...

Hi sister, u must have to address as hello friends and dear mylotters and my only one brother bcoz i am neither maintaing a relation of a friend with u nor i m a just a myloter for u.hehehe.. Anyway my view to your answer is its unpredictable bcoz i am still unmarried. Hahaha... Take care my very very sweet sister. I am proud for being your brother. Lol

In America that would still end up being a common law marriage. I can't speak of the rules in other countries.

This is very sad. But how did it happen? Surely the wife, when she married, knew whether or not it was legal? I hope in your country this is against the Law, and that the people or caused this non legal marriage be prosecuted. I hope the women concerned can still get access to her benefits quickly.

Was she, what is called as, a kept woman, and she never knew this? Otherwise was there a marriage ritual played out but then that was with the connivance of his witnesses? Most societies do not give any legal status for the so called "the other woman". By that I mean, if monogamy is the only legal form of matrimony, even another woman going through all the rituals of marriage doesn't make that one wee bit legal. It is only some progressive societies, that are giving a legal status to even the kept woman at least insofar as some property dispute are concerned.

Was the deceases already married to someone else. If there is no one to claim i think marriage certificates, or proofs like marriage photo and invitation can prove that she is/was the person's wife. It is a long process in India and i think it would take ages to claim, even when someone has the right documents. Hope people wake up and be aware of what is leagal and what is not :)

Hmmm... How could that be? I mean, when they were getting married before, did they sign any legal papers or none at all?? It would be quite devastating for a person to have gone through such situation, but I am not really clear about this matter so, I can't comment further.

So what is wrong? She can't claim stuff because their marriage isn't legal? Uhmm, I don't know if there are some ways to credit the marriage. But maybe she can do something to fulfill what she wants to do.

It is sure a tough case. But if you can furnish evidence that they were married according to religions and were leading a life for past 21 years I think you can win this case in the court. But you need some fine evidence of it. somebody who has been living in that person's nextdoor, or some legal documents in which that person has put his wife as nominee.