Unabridged Marriage Certificates are proof that two people are legally married. Authorities consider marriage certificates to be an official record that binds both individuals who have participated in a partnership and this includes jurisdictions where wedding licences don’t exist. Marriage certificates not only provide proof of a union, it also suggests that the union is legally permissible and that in documenting the marriage, it was correctly witnessed by eligible viewers.

Note that marriages that were registered between 1994 and 2017 require the Department of Home Affairs DHA-30 or the BI-30 Marriage Register as well as the DHA 130 Application Form. Please be sure to obtain a copy of the marriage record from the marriage officer or priest. The DHA-30 or the BI-30 forms were issued by the registrar or priest and contains both partner’s signatures as well as the witnesses who attested to the union.