Marriage Certificates
Key Takeaways:
Marriage certificates are legal documents confirming the union of two individuals.
Vital for various purposes, including legal recognition, immigration, and beneficiary claims.
Timely acquisition and accurate information are essential for seamless document verification.
Congratulations! You have tied the knot and are ready to live Happily Ever-After with the love of your life. Aaaaah, the romance of it all. We remember it well. But amidst all the celebrations and well-wishes, you suddenly realise that there is some paper work and formalities to complete before you can start the rest of your lives together as one happily married unit.
But fret not.
We are here to help you understand what acquiring a marriage certificate entails
What is a marriage certificate?
On the day of your wedding (a civil marriage or civil union), two witnesses and your marriage officer must sign the marriage register after completion of the marriage ceremony. Following that, your marriage officer will issue you with a handwritten marriage certificate (at no extra cost to you). This marriage certificate is a formal and official record that signifies that two people have been joined in matrimony, that they have both entered into the marriage of their own volitions and that the marriage ceremony is legally binding.
The marriage officer must then submit the marriage register to the nearest office of the Department of Home Affairs, where the marriage details will be recorded in the National Population Register (NPR).
There are two types of marriage certificates
Abridged marriage certificate
An abridged marriage certificate is issued on default after a wedding has taken place. It simply contains both spouse’s personal details (such as their full names and ID numbers) as well as the date of the marriage. You will automatically receive an abridged marriage certificate once the Department of Home Affairs is notified by your marriage officer of the marriage. In addition, an abridged marriage certificate will usually be issued on the same day that it’s applied for.
Unabridged marriage certificate
An unabridged certificate, also known as a full marriage certificate, (as the name implies) contains more detailed information about the spouses. The unabridged certificate will, on occasion, be required by government and financial institutions and is the official document required if you plan to travel extensively, emigrate (and therefore need to apply for a VISA), obtain a foreign passport, apply for citizenship applications and during adoption procedures.
If you (or your spouse) aren’t South African, the unabridged certificate will be required to register the marriage in your home country. Your unabridged marriage certificate is usable in most circumstances both locally and internationally.
Keep in mind that the process to acquire it can take quite some time. Approach the Department of Home Affairs well in advance. Hint – it’s often best to apply for it on the same day that your abridged certificate is applied for. This application process can be done at the Department of Home Affairs.
How do you acquire a marriage certificate?
A marriage certificate (whether it is abridged or unabridged) can be obtained from the Department of Home Affairs (DOA) by completing Form BI-130 in black ink and submitting it to the nearest office of the DOA (or to the nearest South African embassy, mission or consulate abroad). According to the DOA (fees), for a first issue of an abridged marriage certificate, it is free, a re-issue is R75.00 and an application for an unabridged marriage certificate is R75.00.
Must the marriage certificate be authenticated?
Authentication of a formal document means to legalise it and is specifically required for use abroad.
Legalising a document means that official (public) documents executed within South Africa for use outside of South Africa are affixed, sealed and signed either with an Apostille Certificate (if the destination country is a signatory of the Hague Convention), or with a Certificate of Authentication (if the destination country is not a signatory of the Hague Convention).
This process is done by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (“DIRCO”) after it has received a verified marriage certificate that has been signed and stamped by an authorised DOA.
Must my marriage certificate be notarised?
You would need to notarise a marriage certificate should you require copies of it. And you would need copies of it if your documents are going to be used for international purposes, be it for an individual or company. And for this purpose, they can only be notarised before a Notary. The Notary attaches a completed and signed notarial certificate to the front of the copy of the original document, and affixes a seal next to their signature thereby verifying that it is a true copy of the original.
Again, when going through the process of authentication or legalisation (as described above), you will require a certified copy of the document.
How long is the notarised marriage certificate valid for?
Simply put, it all depends on the authority requesting the notarised document.
What happens if we lose our marriage certificate?
According to the Department of Home Affairs, any additional abridged copies or unabridged copies of the marriage certificate can be requested by completing Form BI-130 in black ink and submitting it to the nearest office of the DOA (or to the nearest South African embassy, mission or consulate abroad) and by paying the prescribed fee for re-issue which is R75.00
Why should we trust Benaters to notarise our marriage certificate?
At Benaters we pride ourselves on the fact that we are able to offer this specialist niche service, always remembering that due to the ethical nature of the services which Notaries render and the specialist knowledge required to draft and/or legalise certain documents, the office of a Notary is considered to be held to a higher standard of care.
And we take that extremely seriously (and therefore hold ourselves to very high standards).
Whatever the purpose and wherever you are going, we are proud to be able to help you!