Marriage Registration Contract (Kabinnama)

A kabinnama is the written contract of a Muslim marriage in Bangladesh, executed on the government-prescribed Nikah Nama form and registered with a licensed Nikah Registrar under the Muslim Marriages and Divorces (Registration) Act, 1974. Registration is mandatory — a Muslim marriage that is otherwise valid under personal law but unregistered exposes the parties to a Section 5 penalty and creates severe evidentiary problems for later maintenance, dower, inheritance, or divorce disputes. The form has 25 columns capturing bride, groom, wali, witnesses, mehr (dower) amount split into prompt (mu'ajjal) and deferred (mu'wajjal), and any special conditions such as delegated right of divorce (talaq-e-tafwid — column 18).

Stamp & registrationThe kabinnama itself is on the prescribed Nikah Nama form and does not need separate stamp duty; the Nikah Registrar collects the registration fee under the 1974 Act which is proportional to the mehr amount specified (a slab in the Muslim Marriages and Divorces (Registration) Rules, 2009). Failure to register within the prescribed window is punishable under Section 5 with fine or imprisonment; even so, the underlying marriage remains valid under personal law. Foreign-national Muslim marriages should also be registered at the relevant embassy for recognition abroad.

What this agreement typically contains

Bride full name, father / mother name, age, address, NID
Groom full name, father name, occupation, address, NID
Wali (guardian) of the bride and his consent
Names, addresses, and signatures of two adult male witnesses (or one male + two females per personal law)
Mehr (dower) amount — prompt and deferred portions specified
Date, place, and time of the nikah
Special conditions (column 17) — including polygamy restriction, wife's employment, residence
Delegated right of divorce (talaq-e-tafwid) if given — column 18
Previous marriage status of the groom (column 21 — polygamy declaration)
Bride, groom, wali, witness signatures + Nikah Registrar signature and seal

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between prompt and deferred mehr?: Mehr is the mandatory payment from the groom to the bride that becomes her exclusive property under Islamic law. It is typically split in the kabinnama into prompt (mu'ajjal) — payable immediately or on demand at any time during marriage — and deferred (mu'wajjal) — payable on separation (divorce or death). The prompt portion can be demanded any day; the wife is legally entitled to withhold conjugal duties until it is paid. The deferred portion accrues as a debt against the husband's estate and takes priority over ordinary heirs at inheritance. Both portions should be written in figures and words with clear payment terms.
Can the wife include a right to divorce in the kabinnama?: Yes — under Section 8 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 and column 18 of the standard kabinnama form, the husband may delegate the right of divorce (talaq-e-tafwid) to the wife, either absolutely or on specified conditions (e.g. the husband takes another wife, fails to pay maintenance, is absent for a defined period). Once delegated in the kabinnama, the wife can exercise the delegated talaq without going to the court and without her husband's consent — she pronounces divorce and notifies the Chairman of the Arbitration Council. This is legally distinct from a khula (wife-initiated divorce requiring husband's consent) or a judicial divorce under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939.
What if the groom already has an existing wife?: Section 6 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 requires the husband to obtain prior written permission from the Chairman of the Arbitration Council before contracting a second (or further) marriage. Column 21 of the kabinnama asks the groom to declare his existing marriage(s); false declaration is a criminal offence. Without Section 6 permission the second marriage is still valid under personal law but the husband faces criminal prosecution (up to 1 year imprisonment and fine) and pays the entire dower of the existing wife immediately as prompt mehr. The existing wife is entitled to divorce under Section 2(iia) of the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939.

Other contracts in this category

What this agreement typically contains

Bride full name, father / mother name, age, address, NID

Groom full name, father name, occupation, address, NID

Wali (guardian) of the bride and his consent

Names, addresses, and signatures of two adult male witnesses (or one male + two females per personal law)

Mehr (dower) amount — prompt and deferred portions specified

Date, place, and time of the nikah

Special conditions (column 17) — including polygamy restriction, wife's employment, residence

Delegated right of divorce (talaq-e-tafwid) if given — column 18

Previous marriage status of the groom (column 21 — polygamy declaration)

Bride, groom, wali, witness signatures + Nikah Registrar signature and seal

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between prompt and deferred mehr?

Mehr is the mandatory payment from the groom to the bride that becomes her exclusive property under Islamic law. It is typically split in the kabinnama into prompt (mu'ajjal) — payable immediately or on demand at any time during marriage — and deferred (mu'wajjal) — payable on separation (divorce or death). The prompt portion can be demanded any day; the wife is legally entitled to withhold conjugal duties until it is paid. The deferred portion accrues as a debt against the husband's estate and takes priority over ordinary heirs at inheritance. Both portions should be written in figures and words with clear payment terms.

Can the wife include a right to divorce in the kabinnama?

Yes — under Section 8 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 and column 18 of the standard kabinnama form, the husband may delegate the right of divorce (talaq-e-tafwid) to the wife, either absolutely or on specified conditions (e.g. the husband takes another wife, fails to pay maintenance, is absent for a defined period). Once delegated in the kabinnama, the wife can exercise the delegated talaq without going to the court and without her husband's consent — she pronounces divorce and notifies the Chairman of the Arbitration Council. This is legally distinct from a khula (wife-initiated divorce requiring husband's consent) or a judicial divorce under the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939.

What if the groom already has an existing wife?

Section 6 of the Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 requires the husband to obtain prior written permission from the Chairman of the Arbitration Council before contracting a second (or further) marriage. Column 21 of the kabinnama asks the groom to declare his existing marriage(s); false declaration is a criminal offence. Without Section 6 permission the second marriage is still valid under personal law but the husband faces criminal prosecution (up to 1 year imprisonment and fine) and pays the entire dower of the existing wife immediately as prompt mehr. The existing wife is entitled to divorce under Section 2(iia) of the Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939.