Getting married in South Africa (part 1)

South Africa is one of the most amazing places to get married because you can find a bit of everything in one country. We've got beaches, lakes, mountains, wild bush reserves, historic buildings, rural villages, opulent hotels, cosmopolitan cities and open savanna plains.

We've also got a very favorable exchange rate at the moment and a lot of international couples find that they get way more bang for their buck here, at the Southern tip of Africa.

So, if you’re considering an exotic wedding in a faraway land, here’s what you’ll need to get the paperwork done!

First off, find out what your country of origin needs in order to register the marriage. While anyone can legally get married in SA, you still need to register your new marital status once you get home! If the bride and groom are from different homelands, then it is advisable to find out what the requirements are from the groom’s side first. The requirements will differ from country to country, so I’m afraid you’re going to have to do some legwork here yourself.

Once you've established the requirements from your country of origin, you need to get the following together:

·         Letter of No Impediment - This is a legal document issued by the country of birth stating, according to the records, what your present marital status is and whether or not you have any outstanding warrants, etc. This is very important. The South African Department of Home Affairs have gotten really strict on this in an effort to stop human trafficking.

·         Passport and Visa permit – Make sure you can be in the country for a few days before and after the ceremony, just to make sure you give yourself enough time to get the paperwork done.

·         3 Certified ID photos (of both the groom and the bride) plus 1 certified copy of each of the 2 witnesses – you will need two witnesses to sign the wedding register with you.

·         If either of you is divorced or widowed, you’ll need the final divorce decree or deceased spouse’s death certificate (preferably translated into English if that is not your native language)

·         Its also advisable to get you Ante nuptial contract drawn up as soon as possible. Depending on how you want to get married - community of property, ANC or ANC with accrual - the last two need a lawyer to draw it up.

We'll look at the rest of the process next week.

Happy planning!