How much does it cost to: Get married in South Africa?

Getting married can be an expensive affair once the venue, food and celebrations are taken into account.

But if you’re looking strictly at the legal cost of getting married in South Africa, the bill is considerably smaller.

In fact, there is an important difference between South Africa and countries where couples have to buy a marriage licence before they can tie the knot.

There is no marriage licence fee

South Africa does not have a separate marriage licence that couples have to purchase before getting married.

Civil marriages are solemnised and registered through the Department of Home Affairs, with the process governed by the Marriage Act.

For couples having a civil marriage through Home Affairs, the marriage officer issues a handwritten marriage certificate at the ceremony free of charge.

That means there is no mandatory government marriage licence fee that every couple has to pay.

Your first marriage certificate is also free

Home Affairs says the first issue of an abridged marriage certificate is free. This certificate is issued as proof that the marriage has been registered.

So, for a couple simply looking at the compulsory Home Affairs costs of registering a civil marriage, the government fee can effectively be: R0

That may surprise couples expecting to pay hundreds of rand to obtain a marriage licence.

What if you need another certificate?

The situation changes if you later need another copy of your marriage certificate. Home Affairs charges for additional copies and for unabridged marriage certificates.

Here’s how much certificates cost:

• First abridged marriage certificate: Free
• Additional abridged certificate: approximately R75
• Unabridged marriage certificate: approximately R75
• Vault copy: approximately R75

Fees can change, and applicants should confirm the cost with Home Affairs.

What about changing your surname?

Changing your surname after marriage is not a separate marriage fee.

Home Affairs has previously confirmed that a person changing from a maiden surname to a married surname should not be charged simply for making that change.

An antenuptial contract is different

One major cost that some couples could have is an antenuptial contract (ANC).

But this is not a mandatory cost for every couple.

South African couples who marry without an antenuptial contract are generally married in Community of Property, while couples who want to marry out of community of property need to arrange an ANC before the marriage.

The cost of having an ANC drawn up and registered is a private legal cost and varies between attorneys, so it should not be included as a compulsory marriage fee.