Gujarat Uniform Civil Code gets presidential assent: When will it take effect?

Gujarat’s Uniform Civil Code has received President Droupadi Murmu’s assent, but it has not yet taken effect. The President assented to the legislation on September 17, 2026, and it was published in the Gujarat Government Gazette on October 1. The state must still issue a separate notification appointing its commencement date and put rules in place for administering the law. As of October 3, no commencement date has been announced.

That distinction matters for residents: publication establishes the Code as an enacted law, but does not immediately start its new registration deadlines or replace the rules currently governing a family matter. The Gujarat Assembly passed the legislation on March 24, 2026. The next practical steps lie with the state government, which must specify how applications, records and registration procedures will work.

What does Gujarat’s Uniform Civil Code cover?

The Code sets out a common framework for marriage, divorce, inheritance when someone dies without a valid will, wills and live-in relationships. Its marriage provisions require that neither person have a living spouse and retain minimum ages of 21 for a man and 18 for a woman. Couples may continue to marry through religious or customary ceremonies; the Code does not require a single wedding ritual.

For marriages covered by the Code and taking place after it commences, the parties would have to submit a registration memorandum within 60 days. It also contains transitional provisions for some marriages that took place before commencement. In particular, a qualifying marriage in Gujarat since March 31, 2006, that was not registered under the state’s existing marriage-registration law would have a one-year registration window starting from commencement. Marriages already registered under that law are treated as registered under the Code. These are future obligations, not deadlines that began with presidential assent.

The succession provisions establish an order of heirs when a person dies without an effective will. Spouses, children and parents are among the first category of heirs; the Code sets out how shares are divided, including shares for sons and daughters. It also contains detailed provisions on wills. What happens to a particular estate will depend on the applicable provisions, the family circumstances and when rights arose—not simply on the date the Code was published.

What would change for live-in couples?

The Code requires partners in a live-in relationship within Gujarat to submit a statement to a registrar, whether or not they qualify as Gujarat residents under its definition. A Gujarat resident in a live-in relationship outside the state may submit a statement, but that provision is not framed as the same compulsory requirement. For relationships within Gujarat, remaining in the relationship for more than a month without submitting the statement can attract a penalty on conviction once the law is in force.

The registrar would examine the statement and send it to the local police station for its records. If either partner is under 21, the registrar would also inform that partner’s parents or guardians. The Code recognises a child born from a live-in relationship as a legitimate child of the couple and allows a woman deserted by her live-in partner to seek maintenance through a court. The prescribed forms and submission process await the state’s rules.

Who is covered, and what happens before commencement?

The Code extends across Gujarat and can also apply to people who meet its definition of a Gujarat resident while living outside the state. It expressly excludes members of Scheduled Tribes and people or groups whose customary rights are protected under Part XXI of India’s Constitution. Residence under the Code is a defined legal category, not merely a description of anyone temporarily present in Gujarat.

Once commenced, the Code provides that existing laws and customs concerning matters it covers cease to apply in Gujarat to the extent they conflict with it. It also preserves rights and obligations that arose, and proceedings begun, before commencement. For now, residents should not treat assent or gazette publication as the start of a registration clock. The date to watch is the one Gujarat appoints in a further gazette notification, alongside the rules needed to use the new system.