The Department of Home Affairs issues civic certificates in South Africa, just like marriage certificates. A new certificate cannot be issued if your original certificate is lost or you require an unabridged version from their vault archives. It can be time-consuming and lengthy to get a marriage certificate in South Africa, even if it seems simple. You should be aware of the steps involved before attempting to do it yourself.

South African newlyweds are awarded an abridged marriage certificate upon registering the union. Unabridged certificates can be obtained through the Department of Home Affairs. Marriage certificates serve several purposes. First, they establish the legality of the nuptials. In addition, they prove that legally qualified witnesses witnessed the marriage.

As an abridged marriage certificate contains no additional information about the parties, it cannot be used overseas for official purposes. Even though the DHA’s newer unabridged marriage certificates do not actually mention “unabridged,” only the unabridged version can be apostilled.

Obtaining vault copies (needed to proceed with the application for an unabridged marriage certificate) is often a lengthy and complicated procedure. In order to locate the original document, an official from Home Affairs must go to the state archives. There is no archive on-site and the condition of the archives is very poor, so finding the vault certificate can take quite some time. 

Where Can I Get a Copy of My Marriage Certificate in South Africa?

It can be a lengthy process to locate the file in the DHA vault, as we have previously mentioned. You may need to wait months or even years if you do it on your own. Contact Doc Assist today to find out more information or to begin the process of getting your marriage certificate in South Africa. The team might be able to help in a matter of weeks.