If you are South African and have plans to get married abroad or you need to prove your marital status, you will have to provide to authorities abroad a letter of no impediment that proves you are single and not already married or that you have been divorced.
Alternative names for letter of no impediment:
- Non-Impediment Letter;
- No-Impediment Certificate;
- Declaration of Non-Impediment to Marry;
- Certificate of Freedom to Marry;
- Statutory Declaration of Single Status;
- Single Status Letter / Certificate;
- Statement In-Lieu of Certificate of Non-Impediment to Marriage Abroad, and
- Affidavit of Intended Marriage.
A letter of no impediment to marriage abroad is a letter or certificate that confirms to foreign authorities that there are no objections to a proposed marriage or civil partnership. Some countries may require a letter of no impediment to get married in their territory. However, this not a universal requirement.
In South Africa, the Letter of No Impediment (LNI) is provided the department of Home Affairs where births, marriages and deaths are recorded. It is issued to South African citizens and it is varied for a period of six months. If you were married in the past, you would need a Letter of No Impediment to also prove that a divorce has been registered with home affairs and that you are not currently married.
After a letter of no impediment has been issued, it will need an Apostille from Dirco for. It to be used outside of South Africa. The South African apostille is added to this documents when they are being used to confirm you are single and can marry abroad.
At Notary Pretoria we can assist you to have your letter of no impediment issued within 3 – 5 working days using our priority service. Additionally, we can also assist you to Apostille your letter of no impediment for use abroad.
Letter of no impediment with an Apostille
In South Africa, apostille (usually obtained at Dirco or the High Court) certificate is attached to an original document or on a notarised copy. Therefore, the document must be presented in good condition, with all stamps and signatures clear and readable from the department of home affairs. Additionally, the documents must be not be laminated.