Making sure of your marital status
You now have the option to check your marital status at any time because of the significant number of fraudulent marriages that are reported to the Department of Home Affairs each year. To utilize this function, you will need your South African ID number.
You can also text the word M and your ID number to 32551 (for instance, M 5001010050080). Your cellphone will receive a reply SMS confirming your marital status and the day of your wedding. Your network service provider will charge you R1 for each SMS.
Documents required to enter into a marriage
The wedding officiant must get the following documents from the couple on the wedding day:
Identification cards (for each person getting married)
If a foreign national marries a South African citizen, both parties must produce a completed BI-31 Form in addition to their current passports (Declaration for the Purpose of Marriage, Letter of no impediment)
The signed consent of both parents/legal guardians, the Commissioner of Child Welfare, or a court should also be included on Form DHA-32 if the wedding is for a minor (someone under the age of 18). The Minister of Home Affairs must additionally provide formal approval if the minors getting married are under the age of 18 for boys or 15 for girls.
The final divorce order must be provided if any of the prospective brides or grooms have previously been divorced.
The death certificate of the deceased spouse must be given if any of the bride and groom are widowed.
