Summary of Bahá’í Requirements Concerning Marriages with Followers of other Religions

"In your letter of 1 July 1979 you requested the Universal House of Justice to provide you with a statement on the Bahá’í requirements concerning marriages with followers of other Faiths.

The House of Justice has instructed us to send you the following summary.

1. When a Bahá’í is marrying a non-Bahá’í, and the non-Baha'i wishes to have the ceremony of his (or her) own religion the Bahá’í party may take part in it under the following conditions:

1.1 That all concerned, including the officiating priest, know that he is a Bahá’í.

1.2 That he does not, by having the ceremony, renounce his faith.

1.3 That he does not undertake any vow to act contrary to Bahá’í principles (such as to bring up the children in another Faith)

1.4 That the ceremony be held on the same day as the Bahá’í ceremony, either before or after it.

2. If a civil ceremony is required by law in addition to the two religious ceremonies, all three ceremonies must be held on the same day.

3. If a Bahá’í has the marriage ceremony of another religion and, in so doing, violates any of the above requirements, he is liable to loss of his voting rights.

4. If voting rights are removed and the offender requests reinstatement, they may be restored, if the Assembly is satisfied that the believer is repentant, subject to the following conditions:

4.1 If the Bahá’í dissimulated his faith or undertook a vow contrary to Bahá’í principles in order to have the ceremony of another religion and if the holding of the ceremony was dependent upon such an act, he must dissolve the marriage. His voting rights may then be restored, but, if he still wishes to be married to the same woman, he can do so only if they marry in accordance with the requirements of Bahá’í Law.

4.2 If the Bahá’í dissimulated his faith or undertook a vow contrary to Bahá’í principles, and the holding of the marriage ceremony of the other faith was not dependent upon such an act, it is not necessary to dissolve the marriage, but the Bahá’í must do whatever is necessary to officially inform the appropriate authorities that he was a Bahá’í at the time of his marriage, and to withdraw the vow. Following the taking of these steps the Bahá’ís voting rights may be restored on condition that a Bahá’í marriage ceremony be held immediately after their restoration.

4.3 If the Bahá’í neither dissimulated his faith nor undertook any vow contrary to Bahá’í principles, and his only offence was failure to have the Bahá’í ceremony on the same day as the ceremony of the other religion (or the civil ceremony), his voting rights may be restored on condition that a Bahá’í marriage ceremony be held immediately after their restoration.

5. The holding of a Bahá’í marriage ceremony, which would permit the restoration of voting rights is subject to the same requirements as any other Bahá’í marriage, and if a Bahá’í has had a civil ceremony of another religion without a Bahá’í ceremony and without obtaining consent of parents, the Assembly, before granting the Bahá’í ceremony, must be satisfied that the consent of the parents is freely given.

6. If a Bahá’í has a civil marriage or the marriage of another religion, and the Assembly is satisfied that this was because he (or she) was genuinely ignorant of Bahá’í Law 'on the subject, the Assembly may excuse the fault. In such a case the person is recognized as married in the same way as if he had been married before accepting the Faith. It is thus neither necessary nor possible for him to have a Baha'i ceremony." (From letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to the National Spiritual Assembly of Greece July 15, 1980).