Marital status: Are you married on the Home Affairs system?

 

Many South Africans are not sure of their marital status on the Home Affairs system, and this is partly due to confusion on how to verify their status. The South African Department of Home Affairs has tried setting up various ways for citizens to verify their marital status without visiting a DHA brand, but these methods are rarely as efficient as they were intended to be.

In this post, we take a look at how you can easily verify your status and ensure that the DHA has the correct details.

 

Why do you need to know your marital status on the DHA system?

 

If you are getting married and you are unsure of what your official marriage status is you need to get this checked. It is important to know what the DHA status refers to, the easiest way to explain it is that it is the information stored by the Department of Home Affairs that pertains to your current marital status.

Verifying your marital status becomes burdensome when you cannot get to a local DHA branch. And in most cases, that is exactly what happens to South Africans living abroad. The DHA’s online tool for status verification is renowned for being out of order, which means it can be extremely hard to verify your status from outside of SA.

 

What statuses can I expect to see on my verification check?

 

Your DHA status indicates whether or not you are married. In essence, there are five different statuses that a person could be classified under in terms of marital status. These include:

Single

Single status indicates that you have never been registered as married on a DHA register and that you have the right and freedom to marry. Formal proof of single status can only be verified by a Letter of No Impediment.

Married

A married status indicates that you are legally married according to South African law. The only formal proof of this status can be found in a marriage certificate.

Divorced

This status indicates that you have been registered as divorced on the Department of Home Affairs’ register and that an official decree of divorce has also been filed. Your decree of divorce serves as the only formal proof that you are, in fact, divorced.

Widow

If your status is classified as a widow, it means that your husband passed away while you were still married and also indicates that you have not since remarried. Formal proof of widow status can only be obtained with an updated marriage certificate.

Widower

Having a widower status means that your wife passed away while you were still married. It also indicates that you have not remarried since her passing. Like widow status, formal proof can only be issued in the form of an updated marriage certificate.

Other statuses are possible, e.g. DECEASED.

 

How do I verify my marital status with Home Affairs?

 

You can verify your status with the help of a document assistance service like Apsotil.co.za. We work directly with the Department of Home Affairs to verify the status of our clients. We can also assist with changing their status if need be.

Verifications can usually be completed within 30 business days. However, lengthy delays can be expected in the event that your status cannot be verified and has to be processed by the head office of the South African Department of Home Affairs.

Keep in mind that there is no certificate issued in order to verify a person’s status with the Department of Home Affairs. Formal proof can only be obtained with the relevant certificate, i.e. divorced status verified with a decree of divorce, single status verified with a Letter of No Impediment, etc..

Do you need help?

 

If you need help with the verification of your marital status in South Africa, get in touch with us today. We always recommend that you submit any proof you might have to support your case. This can assist with expediting the finalisation of your application.