How to Get a Marriage or Divorce Certificate in Punjab: Rs 200 and 7 Working Days
Get a marriage or divorce certificate at a Punjab e-Khidmat Markaz for Rs 200 in 7 working days. See the papers, the 2001 rule and the grade 17 attestation.
Short answer: A Punjab e-Khidmat Markaz issues a marriage certificate or a divorce certificate for a Rs 200 processing fee, in cash, and delivers the original in 7 working days. You need your registered Nikah Nama, the CNICs of the bride, groom and their fathers, and papers attested by a grade 17 officer. Only marriages registered since 2001 are accepted.
The usual trigger is a visa file, a spouse passport or a NADRA update. The office asks for a "marriage certificate", and the Nikah Nama in your drawer is not it. The Nikah Nama is the record from the wedding. The certificate is the computerised copy the government issues from it.
We read the e-Khidmat service pages for the marriage certificate and the divorce certificate on 12 October 2026, on the Punjab e-Khidmat website. Every fee, document and time below comes from those two pages. We did not apply for one, so we cannot tell you how a counter treats a missing paper in practice.
The fee is Rs 200 and delivery takes 7 working days
Both certificates carry a Rs 200 issuance fee, paid in cash in Pakistani rupees. The page says the original is delivered in 7 working days and is issued by the relevant field office, which means the local government office for the district where the marriage was registered.
| Item | Marriage certificate | Divorce certificate |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | Rs 200 | Rs 200 |
| Delivery | 7 working days | 7 working days |
| Payment | Cash, in rupees | Cash, in rupees |
| Marriage must be registered | Since 2001 | Since 2001 |
| Issued by | Relevant field office | Relevant field office |
Bring the registered Nikah Nama and six CNIC items
For a marriage certificate you need the application form, the registered Nikah Nama, the Rs 200 fee, your CNIC, the CNIC of the bride and groom, and CNIC copies of both fathers. Originals go with photocopies attested by an officer of grade 17 or above.
Grade 17 is a gazetted officer rank, for example an assistant commissioner. The page asks for the officer's attestation on the photocopies, so get that done before you travel to the centre.
- Collect the registered Nikah Nama in the original.
- Photocopy it and every CNIC you will present, then get the copies attested by a grade 17 officer.
- Take the application form at the e-Khidmat Markaz and fill it in.
- Pay Rs 200 in cash at the counter and keep the receipt.
- Collect the original certificate after 7 working days.
A divorce certificate needs the union council record and the order
For a divorce certificate you need the registration from the union council and the arbitration council or court order, plus the application form, Rs 200, your CNIC and the CNICs of both the divorcee and the person who gave the divorce. The 2001 and grade 17 rules also apply.
The page lists "registration from UC and arbitration council or court order" as one item. We read that as the divorce registration and the order that goes with it. If your divorce was finished through the arbitration council, take that council's certificate. If it came through a family court, take the court decree.
Our guide on getting a NADRA divorce certificate after talaq or khula covers the separate NADRA record, which many offices also ask for. The two documents are not the same and neither replaces the other.
Marriages before 2001 and cantonment cases follow other routes
The e-Khidmat page says applications are accepted only where the Nikah was registered since 2001. It also says cases are processed from the district where the case is registered, and cantonment cases go through the cantonment board.
That wording suggests the registering district matters more than where you live now. We did not test it, so ask the centre before you travel. If the nikah was before 2001, the page does not say what to do, so ask the union council that holds the original register.
If you never registered the nikah at all, fix that first. Our guide on registering a nikah in Pakistan explains why it matters later, and getting a copy of your Nikah Nama from the union council covers a lost copy.
Where and when to go
Punjab e-Khidmat centres open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm. Two Lahore centres, ASTP and Town Hall, also open 6 pm to midnight. On Friday every centre closes from 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm. The marriage and divorce pages list no lunch break.
The e-Khidmat "About" page says 15 centres operate across Punjab, including two in Lahore. A birth certificate and a domicile are on the same menu if you need them for the same file, and our note on getting a birth certificate in Pakistan covers the child record.
Common questions
How much does a marriage certificate cost in Punjab?
It costs Rs 200 at an e-Khidmat Markaz, according to the service page. You pay in cash in rupees and receive the original in 7 working days.
Can I get a marriage certificate for a nikah done before 2001?
The page accepts applications only for nikahs registered since 2001. For an earlier marriage, ask the union council that holds the register what it can issue.
Do I need both CNICs of the bride and groom?
Yes, the page lists the CNICs of the bride and groom and CNIC copies of both fathers. The applicant's own CNIC is a separate line.
What is the difference between a Nikah Nama and a marriage certificate?
The Nikah Nama is the record made at the wedding. The marriage certificate is the computerised document issued from that record, and it is the one most offices ask for.
Can someone else collect the certificate for me?
The pages do not say. Ask at the counter before you send a relative, because the original documents and attested copies are checked on submission.
Is there an online application?
The service pages describe a visit to the centre and a call from the call centre for feedback afterwards. We did not find an online form for these two certificates on those pages.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
We read the marriage certificate and divorce certificate service pages on the Punjab e-Khidmat Markaz website, ekhidmat.punjab.gov.pk, on 12 October 2026. Fees and times can change, so confirm them on the page before you go. We did not call the centre or apply.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
