Before the Bolsheviks overthrew the tsar in 1917, church and state power were inseparable. Therefore, the rituals performed in the church were automatically recognized as legal from a legal point of view. Today we have a secular state. But for many people, the wedding is much more important than the stamp put in the registry office. But is such a marriage officially recognized?
You can conclude a marriage both according to church canons and according to secular requirements. It all depends on the traditions existing in the country, and most importantly on how great the influence of religion on the state. For example, in the countries of the Middle East, marriage is part of the Muslim religion and is a commitment of the couple to Allah.
And how are we?
If we are talking about Russia, then the answer is unequivocal: no. According to the family code, marriage involves living together, maintaining a common household. But the main condition under which a marriage has legal force in any legal system is its conclusion in the manner prescribed by law and in the proper form, in other words, the marriage must be registered. During a religious ceremony, registration is not carried out. This is, in fact, an agreement that is necessary, first of all, to simplify various legal actions: recognition of paternity, inheritance of a deceased spouse, division of jointly acquired property in a divorce.
Therefore, it is so important to record a marriage between two persons from the point of view of the state. To register it, the personal presence of the future spouses, who submit the necessary documents, is required. Moreover, the documents of foreign citizens must be certified by a notary.
Submit a stamp
The difficulties that spouses have if they have not entered into a legal marriage from the point of view of the state are also known to the church. On the other hand, weddings are becoming just a fashion and, without certifying their connection with an official document, young people actually simply cohabit. So now, in order to get married, the spouses must show a marriage certificate with their signatures.
At the same time, there were exceptions to the rules in our country. Thus, the Family Code of the Russian Federation says that marriages entered into on the basis of a religious ceremony in the occupied territories of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War are recognized as valid until the restoration of the work of civil registration authorities in these territories.
