At True Nikkah, the information couples share with us is treated with the same seriousness we bring to the ceremony itself. Arranging a marriage involves information that is personal in the fullest sense of the word. It identifies you. It identifies your partner. It reveals your religious belief. For a great many of the couples we work with across the UK, it concerns a decision their family does not yet know about. We regard the protection of that information as a core responsibility of the service, not an administrative formality bolted on afterwards.
This Privacy Policy sets out how True Nikkah collects, uses, stores, shares, transfers and protects personal data in connection with our UK online nikah ceremony and Islamic marriage services. It applies to couples in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who book, enquire about or otherwise use our UK services.
Our data protection practices are built around the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, together with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) where these apply to our website and communications. We follow the guidance published by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent supervisory authority for data protection, and we apply the standards expected of any UK organisation handling information that reveals religious belief.
Data protection at True Nikkah operates within the wider governance framework described in our Code of Practice, under the oversight of our Director, Dr Mahmoud Abdelrahman.
Effective Date: 1 July 2023
Last Reviewed: August 2026
Next Scheduled Review: August 2027
Data Protection Officer (DPO): Dr Mahmoud Abdelrahman, Director, True Nikkah
Contact: dpo@truenikkah.co.uk
True Nikkah is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, integrity and security of the personal information entrusted to us by the couples we serve throughout the UK.
This Privacy Policy explains what we collect, why we collect it, how long we keep it, who else sees it, and what rights you hold over it. It covers the arranging and conducting of nikah ceremonies, the appointment of a wali, the provision of practising Muslim witnesses, and the issuing of nikah certificates. It also explains how you may exercise your rights and where you may complain if you are unhappy with how we have acted.
True Nikkah processes personal data only where doing so is necessary and proportionate to deliver the service you have asked for, and we apply safeguards matched to the sensitivity of the information involved. Because arranging a nikah inevitably reveals religious belief, much of what we hold attracts enhanced protection under UK law, and it is handled on that footing throughout.
This Policy applies to every visitor to the True Nikkah UK website, every couple who books or enquires about our UK services, and all communications with our team, wherever in the UK you are based.
It should be read alongside our Terms of Service, Code of Practice, Cookie Policy and Disclaimer.
For the purposes of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, True Nikkah acts as the Data Controller in respect of all personal data processed in connection with our UK services.
As Data Controller, True Nikkah determines both the purposes for which personal data is processed and the means by which that processing is carried out, and is accountable under UK law for compliance with the obligations that follow.
Data Controller: True Nikkah
Data Protection Lead: Dr Mahmoud Abdelrahman, Director
Privacy contact: dpo@truenikkah.co.uk
General enquiries: info@truenikkah.co.uk
Our Data Protection Lead carries overall responsibility for compliance with UK data protection legislation, for the confidentiality obligations that attach to a service handling information revealing religious belief, and for the internal information governance standards applied across the organisation. Data protection oversight forms part of the wider organisational governance framework set out in our Code of Practice, and is subject to scheduled review.
The accountability principle under Article 5(2) of the UK GDPR requires us not only to comply, but to be able to demonstrate compliance. True Nikkah maintains organisational accountability measures directed at exactly that, including:
Where our processing of special category data relies on a condition in Schedule 1 of the Data Protection Act 2018 that requires one, we maintain an Appropriate Policy Document describing our compliance and retention arrangements.
Article 5 of the UK GDPR sets out six principles that govern all processing of personal data, together with the overarching principle of accountability. We describe them here because they shape every decision we take about the information you give us.
True Nikkah applies data minimisation in practice, not merely as a statement of intent. We collect only what is necessary and proportionate to arrange and conduct your ceremony, issue your certificate, and satisfy our legal and record-keeping obligations in the UK.
This information is used to verify identity and age, confirm eligibility to marry, prepare your certificate, and communicate with you about your booking.
By its very nature, approaching us for a nikah reveals that you are Muslim. Where it is relevant to the conduct of your ceremony, we may also process:
Information revealing religious or philosophical belief is special category personal data under Article 9 of the UK GDPR. It is subject to the enhanced safeguards described in section 7.
Payments are handled by our third-party payment providers, currently Stripe, PayPal and supported digital wallet services including Apple Pay and Google Pay. True Nikkah does not store or directly process full payment card details. We retain a record of the transaction, the amount paid in pounds sterling, the services purchased and the date of payment, as required for UK accounting, tax and record-keeping purposes.
This information is used for security, performance monitoring, fraud prevention and operational integrity only. True Nikkah does not use technical data for advertising, behavioural profiling, cross-site tracking or the building of marketing audiences.
Further information is set out in our Cookie Policy.
True Nikkah uses personal data for defined and limited purposes connected to delivering the service you have asked for:
True Nikkah does not use personal data for:
True Nikkah processes personal data only where a lawful basis under the UK GDPR exists. Depending on the information and the purpose, we rely on the following:
Where our lawful basis is consent, you are under no obligation to give it, and declining will simply mean we are unable to arrange the ceremony. Where our lawful basis is legitimate interests, you have the right to object, as described in section 14.
This section is central to how True Nikkah operates, because the information we hold is inherently sensitive in a way that most UK service providers’ information is not.
The simple fact that you have contacted True Nikkah reveals your religious belief. Under Article 9 of the UK GDPR, information revealing religious or philosophical belief is special category personal data, and it may not lawfully be processed at all unless a specific additional condition is satisfied on top of an ordinary Article 6 basis.
True Nikkah relies on explicit consent under Article 9(2)(a), obtained at the point of booking through a clear, specific and separately presented declaration.
That consent is:
Where an interfaith ceremony is being considered, information about a non-Muslim spouse’s religious affiliation is special category data belonging to that individual in their own right. We collect it only where it is necessary in order to assess whether the marriage may properly be conducted, we require that individual’s own consent, and we apply identical safeguards to it.
The safeguards we apply to special category data include:
True Nikkah maintains organisational controls designed to ensure that special category data is handled in a manner proportionate to its sensitivity and consistent with recognised international data protection standards.
A significant proportion of the couples we work with in the UK arrange their nikah privately. Some have not told their families. Some are marrying across a family objection. We do not ask why, and we design our processes on the assumption that your booking is private.
In practice that means:
We cannot control the security of a device or an email account shared with other people. Where discretion matters to you, we would suggest giving us a contact address or number that only you can access, and telling us if there are times at which it is not appropriate to contact you. We will follow your instructions.
This commitment forms part of the ethical standards set out in our Code of Practice.
True Nikkah implements technical and organisational security measures appropriate to the nature and sensitivity of the information we hold, taking account of the state of the art, the cost of implementation, and the risk to the rights and freedoms of the people concerned.
Our controls include:
Our information security practices are informed by the principles set out in ISO/IEC 27001, the international standard for information security management.
True Nikkah maintains an internal incident response process covering the identification, containment, assessment, recording and reporting of personal data breaches.
Where a personal data breach occurs that is likely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of individuals, we will report it to the Information Commissioner’s Office within 72 hours of becoming aware of it, as required by Article 33 of the UK GDPR. Where a breach is likely to result in a high risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you directly and without undue delay under Article 34, describing the nature of the breach, its likely consequences, and the measures we have taken in response.
All breaches, including those not meeting the reporting threshold, are recorded internally together with the decision taken and the reasoning behind it.
True Nikkah shares personal data only where it is necessary to deliver your ceremony, on a strict need-to-know basis, and subject to contractual and confidentiality safeguards.
Personal data may be shared with:
True Nikkah does not sell personal data, and does not permit any third party to use your information for marketing, profiling, advertising or any purpose unconnected with your ceremony.
Where processors are engaged, we ensure that written data processing agreements compliant with Article 28 of the UK GDPR are in place, that access is limited to the minimum necessary, that appropriate security standards are maintained, and that each processor acts only on our documented instructions. True Nikkah remains accountable as Data Controller throughout, and processor arrangements are reviewed periodically as part of our governance cycle.
True Nikkah is established in the United Kingdom, and the great majority of the processing described in this Policy takes place here. However, because we work with Imams based in more than one country, and because some of our suppliers operate internationally, personal data may in some circumstances be transferred outside the UK.
Where a restricted transfer takes place, we ensure that an appropriate safeguard under Chapter V of the UK GDPR is in place. We rely on:
Transfer risk assessments are carried out and recorded before a restricted transfer is relied upon, in line with ICO guidance.
Transfers are limited to what is necessary to deliver your ceremony. True Nikkah does not transfer personal data outside the UK for marketing or any unrelated commercial purpose.
True Nikkah retains personal data only for as long as there is a proper reason to hold it, in accordance with documented internal retention schedules.
Nikah certificates and ceremony records are retained on a long-term basis. This is a deliberate decision rather than an oversight. Couples ask us for copies of their certificate years after the ceremony, sometimes in connection with an immigration matter, sometimes because the original has been lost, and sometimes simply for their own records. A marriage record deleted after a short interval is of little use to the people who depend on it.
Identity and age verification documentation is retained only for as long as needed to confirm eligibility and satisfy our verification obligations, and is then securely deleted.
Enquiry correspondence from people who do not go on to book is retained for a limited period and then deleted.
Payment and transaction records are retained for the period required by UK accounting and tax legislation.
Complaint records are retained for a defined period in order to support governance, quality monitoring and the defence of any claim.
When a retention period expires, data is securely deleted or irreversibly anonymised using methods designed to prevent recovery or reconstruction.
You may ask us to delete your personal data at any time. Where a ceremony has taken place and a certificate has been issued, we will explain plainly what we are able to delete, what we must retain as a record of the ceremony, and the basis on which we retain it.
The UK GDPR gives you a number of rights over your personal data. True Nikkah recognises all of them and will not put obstacles in the way of anyone wishing to exercise one.
Requests may be sent to dpo@truenikkah.co.uk or submitted through our Contact page.
We respond within one month, as required by the UK GDPR. Where a request is complex, or where a number of requests have been received from the same individual, that period may be extended by up to two further months, and we will tell you within the first month if that applies and why.
We will verify your identity before disclosing personal data or acting on a request. This is a protective measure applied to every request without exception, and it exists to stop someone else obtaining your information by pretending to be you.
Exercising a right is free of charge. Only where a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive, in particular because it is repetitive, may we charge a reasonable administrative fee or decline to act, and we will explain our reasoning and your right to complain if we ever do.
Certain rights are qualified rather than absolute. In particular, where we are required to retain a record that a ceremony took place, the right to erasure will not extend to that record.
True Nikkah does not carry out unsolicited direct marketing, and booking a ceremony does not place you on any mailing list.
Where we do send electronic marketing at any point in the future, we will do so only in accordance with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 and the UK GDPR, which means only with your consent or where a recognised exemption applies, and always with a straightforward means of opting out in every message.
The communications you receive from us in connection with a booking are service messages rather than marketing. They include booking confirmations, scheduling arrangements, requests for information, certificate delivery and responses to questions or complaints.
Our website uses essential cookies necessary for secure access, session integrity, load balancing and protection against fraudulent activity. These are required for the site to function and cannot be switched off.
Where analytics cookies are used, their purpose is limited to understanding how visitors use the site so that we can improve it. True Nikkah does not use cookies for advertising, behavioural profiling, retargeting or cross-site tracking.
Non-essential cookies are set only with your consent, as required by PECR and the UK GDPR, and that consent may be withdrawn at any time through the cookie settings on our website.
Full detail is set out in our Cookie Policy.
If you have a concern about how True Nikkah has handled your personal information, please raise it with us first at dpo@truenikkah.co.uk, so that we have the opportunity to put it right. Complaints are logged securely and reviewed under the oversight of our Data Protection Lead.
You also have the right to complain directly to the UK supervisory authority:
Information Commissioner’s Office Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF ico.org.uk
You do not need to complain to us first, although we would always prefer the chance to resolve matters ourselves. Complaining to the ICO is free, and you also retain the right to seek a judicial remedy.
Complaints concerning the conduct of a ceremony, rather than the handling of your personal data, are dealt with under our Code of Practice and our Terms of Service.
True Nikkah does not provide services to anyone under the age of eighteen, under any circumstances, and does not knowingly collect personal data relating to children.
Our Code of Practice sets an absolute minimum age of eighteen for both parties to any ceremony, verified as part of the booking process. Where we become aware that information relating to a person under eighteen has been submitted, the booking is cancelled, the payment refunded in full, and the information handled in accordance with our safeguarding responsibilities.
For all privacy and data protection enquiries, including the exercise of any right described in section 13:
Privacy enquiries: privacy@truenikkah.co.uk
General enquiries: info@truenikkah.co.uk
Contact form: Contact Us
This contact point is overseen by Dr Mahmoud Abdelrahman, Director of True Nikkah, who holds responsibility for data protection compliance and information governance across our UK service.
True Nikkah reviews this Privacy Policy at least once every twelve months, and sooner where legislation, ICO guidance, our services, our processing arrangements or our supplier relationships change.
Where a material update is made, the revised Policy is published on this page with a revised effective date, and where appropriate we will take reasonable steps to notify those affected.
We would encourage you to look over this Policy from time to time so that you remain familiar with the current version.
Last updated: August 2026