Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 · Updated to 15 Dec 2018 · Part II · Monogamous Marriages
5. Disability to contract marriages otherwise than under this Act
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A person lawfully married on the appointed date cannot validly marry anyone else during that marriage. This also covers people who later remarry, and unmarried people who marry after that date. It applies to marriages under any law, religion or custom, in or outside Malaysia. After the appointed date, marriages may only be performed as Part III provides.
Summary · Drafted with AI, checked against the official text on 30 Sep 2026.
Every person who on the appointed date is lawfully married under any law, religion, custom or usage to one or more spouses shall be incapable, during the continuance of such marriage or marriages, of contracting a valid marriage under any law, religion, custom or usage with any other person, whether the first mentioned marriage or the purported second mentioned marriage is contracted within Malaysia or outside Malaysia.
appointed date
“appointed date” means the date of coming into operation of this Act;
Every person who on the appointed date is lawfully married under any law, religion, custom or usage to one or more spouses and who subsequently ceases to be married to such spouse or all such spouses, shall, if he thereafter marries again, be incapable during the continuance of that marriage of contracting a valid marriage with any other person under any law, religion, custom or usage, whether the second mentioned marriage or purported third mentioned marriage is contracted within Malaysia or outside Malaysia.
Every person who on the appointed date is unmarried and who after that date marries under any law, religion, custom or usage shall be incapable during the continuance of such marriage of contracting a valid marriage with any other person under any law, religion, custom
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or usage, whether the first mentioned marriage or the purported second mentioned marriage is contracted within Malaysia or outside Malaysia.
After the appointed date, no marriage under any law, religion, custom or usage may be solemnized except as provided in Part III.