Abridged Vs Unabridged Marriage Certificates in South Africa
Difference between an Abridged or Standard South African Marriage Certificate and an Unabridged Marriage Certificate.
There is a distinct difference between a standard Marriage certificate and an unabridged birth certificate.
Key differences include the following:
| Standard or Abridged Marriage Certificate | Unabridged Marriage Certificate |
| Typically a short one or two page document containing only minimum details. Original could have been issued by the marriage officer or a printout can be obtained from any South African Home Affairs Office or Consulate abroad. | Detailed record that can be only be obtained through a request to the South African Department of Home Affairs |
| Contains both spouses full names, their South African Identity numbers, the date of the marriage ceremony and place of marriage. | Basic spouses details but this document goes further to include spouses nationalities, their parents full names, both parties previous marital status, whether married in or out of community, details of the marriage officer. |
| Used for mundane administration at South African institutions such as banks, schools hospitals etc. | Used when applying to foreign governments and services including travel and work visas, Schengen visas, spousal visas, applying for dual citizenship, foreign passport applications as well as registering a marriage abroad. |
| Only valid for use within South Africa | Needed when applying for foreign services. It is recommended that your Unabridged Marriage Certificate be apostilled for added recognition. |
If you need assistance in obtaining your Unabridged Marriage Certificate and dot want to queue at home affairs, Q-Pro can help you.
Q-pro is an independent document sourcing specialist with no ties to Home Affairs.