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Required Documents & FAQs

Marriage Officiants
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Required Documents

What do I need to get married in south africa?

Your decision to get married is one of the most significant of your life. To honor this, we would love your wedding day to be a wonderful life-changing event for you and those who celebrate with you. We want your day to be exceptional and memorable in the best possible way – A truly joy-filled event. We certainly don’t want The Home Affairs requirements to interfere with this in any way.

The following is our way of streamlining the Home Affairs process to make it as simple as possible – so that you are really freed up to focus on what is most important.

As a reference, we have categorised the information into four easily accessible groupings below.

Groupings

Please refer to the grouping that best applies to you below

You have never been married before and are both South African Citizens.

This is the most straight-forward application to Home Affairs for the registration of your marriage.  The end goal is that your Marital Status is updated from Single to Married on the National Population Registry.

  • Documentation Required:

  • A copy of your ID
  • A copy of your Partner’s ID
  • 3 x ID photo’s each
  • If one or both of you have been previously married, Home Affairs will require a copy of the decree of divorce/death certificate (whichever applies) which will be submitted on your behalf.
  • If yours is an ante-nuptial agreement, we will need a copy of the cover letter from your lawyer.

We no longer require that your witnesses provide their ID documentation.

This application to Home Affairs for the registration of your marriage is slightly more complicated.  The end goal is that your Marital Status is updated from Single, Divorced or Widowed to Married on the National Population Registry.  There are occasions where your divorce or even widow/widower status has not been correctly amended on the Population Registry.  It is important that we verify that you are in fact divorced, widowed or single – This can be verified by contacting the Home Affairs Call Centre on : 080 060 1190- (follow the instructions given there). This to ensure that Home Affairs will accept your application for your new marriage.

 

There are a few possible ways for you to manage the legal aspect of your Marriage in South Africa as an international couple.

The first option would be to exercise your right to legally marry without the celebration in your home country,
Your event in South Africa will therefore simply be a celebration of what is already legally in place  . .

No documentation or information will be required for Home Affairs, but you might prefer to have some reference to your Full Names in the vows that you choose with your Marriage Officer/Celebrant to enhance your experience of your ceremony.  (We will also very happily design and issue a commemoration certificate for your pleasure.)

As of December 2014 – Home Affairs have an added stipulation that all South African citizens applying to have a Marriage solemnized with any Non-South African citizen need to comply with the following:

  • At least one of the couple that wishes to get legally married in South Africa will need to appear in person (with the correct documentation) at a Home Affairs Office (Preferably the same office where your Marriage Officer is registered- to make an appointment booking with the immigration interviewing officer..)
  • The documentation (especially the “Letters/Certs of No Impediment”) will be verified by the official on duty to secure your Interview date/time (An Affidavit is permissible for all UK Citizens in lieu of this letter – Please request a pro-forma if needed).
  • Both parties of the couple will have to attend the pre-arranged interview. Once the interview has been successfully concluded, an Immigration Report will be drawn up and submitted to the marriage section

Documentation Required;  

For the South African Citizen –

  1. A copy of your ID
  2. 3 x ID photo’s
  3. If you have been previously married, Home Affairs will require a copy of the decree of divorce/death certificate (whichever applies) which will be submitted on your behalf. If yours is an ante-nuptial agreement, we will need a copy of the cover letter from your lawyer.
  4. If yours is an ante-nuptial agreement, we will need a copy of the cover letter from your lawyer.

We no longer require that your witnesses provide their ID documentation.

 For the Non- South African Citizen –

  1. A copy of the front page of your passport
  2. A copy of the Visa Page in your passport – or the last entry stamp through customs found in your passport
  3. 3 x ID photo’s
  4. If you have been previously married, Home Affairs will require a copy of the decree of divorce/death certificate (whichever applies) which will be submitted on your behalf.
  5. A letter of non-impediment (certificate from your country of citizenship confirming freedom to marry)
  6. A letter from the country of citizenship Embassy in South Africa, stating that the letter of non-impediment is valid.
  7. An Affidavit is permissible for all UK Citizens (or counties of the Common Wealth)  in lieu of this letter – (Please request a pro-forma if needed).
  8. A letter of Verification from the Country of Citizenship Embassy in South Africa  stating that a letter of non-impediment is not issued by that country.

You will be required to sign an Affidavit on the day of your wedding – This is a stationery document supplied by Home Affairs (BI 31) – Required to verify that you are using your international passport as a means of documentation

Frequently Asked Questions

My Marital Status is incorrect on the home affairs system – what should I do?

Home affairs will not register your marriage if your status reflects as “married” on the system.
You will need to present in person at Home Affairs with a clear, stamped copy of your  Divorce Certificate or your late spouse’s Death Certificate to ask that they correct the status detail on the Population Registry.


Home affairs will verify you with biometrix, receive the documents and send this request through to Pta for processing. This can take up to 6 weeks for completion.

You will receive your official issue Abridged Marriage Certificate (DHA – 27) on your wedding day. This is a hand written document issued by your Marriage Officer/Celebrant.

This document is full recognised in South Africa.

This is the most formal and complete form of Marriage Certificate – issued by any Home Affairs office.

All couples who intend to register their marriage internationally or prove the detail of their marriage for legal purposes internationally, will require this Unabridged Marriage Certificate.

Civil Marriage vs Civil Union – please be aware that not all countries accept marriages solemnised under the Civil Union Act.

Apply at any Home Affairs office. (You will require a copy of your Registry Document from your Marriage Officer/Celebrant.)

Normally within 2 weeks of your marriage the process will be completed by the registration of your marriage onto the Population Registry.

Any discrepancy – or documentation difficulty might delay the process.  Your Marriage Officer/Celebrant will probably be in touch with you to rectify the issue.

One of the following options are available to you:
Keep your maiden surname;
Join your maiden surname with your new husband’s surname (double-barrel surname)
Assume your husband’s surname

The surname that you would like to assume will be recorded on the marriage register.
Home Affairs will capture the stipulated detail when your marriage is registered.

Once Home Affairs have registered your marriage (1-2 weeks’ after the date of the marriage) you may apply to Home Affairs for a new ID book or passport reflecting your new surname.

Your marriage is a legal contract with a financial component to it.

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Iris Levings

Nigel Levings

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