A court-issued divorce certificate will be mandatory for anyone seeking to remarry after ending a previous marriage under the amended Mizo marriage law. This was informed by the Review Committee on the Mizo Marriage and Inheritance of Property Act.
The committee, headed by Law and Judicial Department Additional Secretary Zahmingthanga Ralte, reviewed customary practices and provisions of the Mizo Marriage & Inheritance of Property (Amendment) Act, 2026, enacted by the Mizoram Assembly in February.
According to officials, the responsibility of verifying the divorce certificate has been placed on the person solemnising the marriage.
The committee clarified that churches may continue to regulate marriage and remarriage within their respective jurisdictions. However, under the amended law, a divorced person seeking to marry again must prove that the previous marriage has been legally dissolved.
Anyone who remarries without producing a valid divorce certificate could face imprisonment ranging from seven to 10 years, depending on the circumstances, the committee said. It urged individuals planning or arranging such marriages to exercise caution and comply with the legal requirements.
The committee also requested churches to replace the word “Divorce” in marriage certificates with the wording, “In accordance with the Mizo Marriage & Inheritance of Property Act, 2014.”
Representatives of the state government, churches, civil society organisations, the Mizoram Women Commission, Mizoram University and other experts attended the meeting.
