Marriage in Sri Lanka

Marriage in Sri Lanka is legally recognised in the forms of both customary, religious, and civil marriage. Traditionally, marriage was governed under different customary law that was practiced in certain areas of the island.

The Marriage Registration Ordinance, No. 19 of 1907 established the office of Registrar-General of Marriages to register and maintain records of religious and civil marriages in the island. In a Court of Appeal judgement in May 2026, the court upheld that a Marriage Certificate constitutes a "prima facie proof of the existence of the marriage" and "no administrative authority or officer has the power to determine the validity or invalidity of such marriage in the absence of a decree or declaration issued by a competent court".[1][2]

Customary laws

Sri Lankan wedding ceremony in the Kandian style.

Traditionally, based on customary laws, marriage was an informal union that was considered a union between two families as defined by the Kandyan law and the Thesavalamai. A ceremony such as the Poruwa ceremony was not an essential requirement of marriage. The Dutch who occupied the coastal areas found such practices to be heathen and recognised only marriages registered in the church rolls. This was later relaxed to include marriages celebrated by Hindu priests.[3] Marriage under Muslim law was based on the nikah ceremony, with an offer and acceptance before the required number of witnesses. There has been calls for reform of Muslim Marriage Law.[4]

General law

The British colonial government issued the Marriage Registration Ordinance No 19 of 1907, as the general marriage law in the island, influenced of Roman Dutch law and English law with the Christian ethic of marriage. This law now applies to low-country Sinhalese and Tamils. Kandyans may marry under the General law.[3]

Divorce

Under the General law, divorce is fault-based; with adultery, desertion and impotency remain the principal grounds of divorce. Attempts to a breakdown ground in 1977 failed. Divorce in customary law remains more administrative.[3][5][6][7]

Polygamy

In Sri Lanka, Polygyny is permitted under Muslim law, a man may take up to four wives as allowed under the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA). Polyandry was practiced by Royalty and commoners alike in Sri Lanka until the colonial period, when the practice was outlawed under Marriage Registration Ordinance and the Penal Code.[8][9][10][11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "When one produces a marriage certificate it is enough proof of marriage - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2026-06-01.
  2. ↑ Wickrama, Thulitha; de Zoysa, Piyanjali (2020). "Divorce in Sri Lanka". In Emery, Robert E. (ed.). Cultural Sociology of Divorce: An Encyclopedia. SAGE Publications. ISBN 9781412999588. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  3. 1 2 3 Scharenguivel, Sharya. "The Sri Lankan General Law of Marriage: Dutch, Victorian or Indigenous" (PDF). The International Survey of Family Law.
  4. ↑ Farisz, Hafeel (2025-05-15). "And With Every Hardship, Sri Lankan Women Continue to Push for Muslim Marriage Law Reform". The Diplomat. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  5. ↑ Ravindran, Anuja (May 2021). "Socio-demographic factors and divorce among young married couples - A socio-cultural perspective". Asian Journal of Interdisciplinary Research. doi:10.34256/ajir2125.
  6. ↑ "A Brief Outline of Divorce Law in Sri Lanka". Conventus Law. DLF Attorneys-at-Law. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  7. ↑ Jayawardena, A. M.; Perera, K. L. (August 2021). "A Discussion of the Operation of Divorce Law in Sri Lanka in Reality". Sri Lanka Journal of Legal Studies. 8: 112–125. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
  8. ↑ Weber, Stephanie (December 16, 2015). "Yes, There Is a Marriage Practice Where Women Have Multiple Husbands". Modern Notion. Archived from the original on 27 November 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016. In Sri Lanka, however, polyandry is actually protected under law. Under the Kandyan Marriage Law, women are permitted to be married to multiple men. In modern Sri Lanka, the practice often starts with a monogamous relationship that then expands with a partner of the wife's choosing.
  9. ↑ "Marriage and divorce (Kandyan)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-06.
  10. ↑ Zeitzen, Miriam (Apr 1, 2008). Polygamy: A Cross-Cultural Analysis. Berg. p. 64. ISBN 9781847883711.
  11. ↑ Kok, Jan; Bulten, Luc; Leede, Bente M. de (December 2021). "Persecuted or permitted? Fraternal Polyandry in a Calvinist colony, Sri Lanka (Ceylon), seventeenth and eighteenth centuries". Continuity and Change. 36 (3): 331–355. doi:10.1017/S0268416021000308. ISSN 0268-4160.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.