Concerns Over Limitations on Marriage Contract Conditions with New Single-Page Marriage Certificates

Following the announcement of changes in the issuance of Iranian marriage certificates, which will be issued electronically in a single-page format starting next year, concerns have arisen regarding increased restrictions for women, including the removal of the ability to register certain conditions within the marriage contract, separate from the conventional text. Over the past two decades, given that civil and family laws in the Islamic Republic are severely patriarchal and violate equal rights for women, many couples have used the registration of 'conditions within the marriage contract' to 'repair' some of the legal inequalities between spouses that exist in Iran's civil laws. Legal expert Omid Salimi-Bani stated to the 'Khabar Online' website that in the new method, the original 'official marriage document' will be electronically stored in the registration system, and a copy of this document (printout) will be provided by the official marriage registrar upon the couples' request, after being stamped with the official seal. According to him, in the new system, 'the couple, witnesses, and introducers' will confirm the contents of the document by electronically signing below it, with the original document being 'electronic' and its printout provided to the couples with a 'unique identifier and document verification code.' Some social media users have evaluated this action by the Islamic Republic government as a means to collect money from citizens and generate public revenue under the pretext of electronic documentation. Others viewed such decisions as performative actions to cover up inefficiencies in addressing the main challenges of youth marriage, such as employment and housing. However, several users expressed concerns about potential limitations due to the electronic and single-page format or disruptions when registering or requesting a printed version due to the widespread weaknesses in the electronic infrastructure of the Islamic Republic government. Previously, according to a resolution from the 'Supreme Judicial Council' in 1983, the 'permanent marriage document' was issued in a 'booklet' format in official registration offices, and couples signed the official marriage registration books. International organizations and human rights activists have consistently warned against the approval and implementation of discriminatory laws against women or their further restriction, especially regarding 'systematic discrimination.'