WHAT IS IT?
A Certificate of Non-Marriage is a confirmation of a person’s marital status where a national of a country intends to marry abroad. It is also called a Certificate of no marriage, Certificate of no impediment, or a Single Status Certificate. The Certificate is issued by the Registrar of Marriages certifying that there is no legal impediment to the applicant’s intended marriage. The certificate is valid for six months. It protects foreigners wishing to marry Zimbabweans from the embarrassment and inconveniences of marrying a person who may still be legally married to someone else.
The certificate is obtained from the Registrar of Marriages and remains valid for six months from the date of issue. This means that if the person intending to get married does not do so within the defined period, he or she will have to get another certificate after the lapse of the stated time. Where there is a divorce order a copy of it should also be submitted in which case the Registrar will verify directly with the Court that issued it. In the case of a person claiming not to have been married at all, the Registrar will search the records from the time the person reached the age at which they could legally marry, being eighteen (18) years old, to date.
REQUIREMENTS
IF THE PERSON IS OUTSIDE ZIMBABWE:
- Letter of authorisation from applicant (formal letter bearing their original signature)
- Copy of the information passport page
- Copy of last stamped passport page
- Original birth certificate and copy
- All documents must be certified by the Embassy of Zimbabwe or nearest Consulate
- Original statutory fee receipt from the Embassy of Zimbabwe or nearest Consulate
All original documents need to be authenticated through the Embassy of Zimbabwe or nearest Consulate
IF THE PERSON IS IN ZIMBABWE
- Original birth certificate and copy
National identity card or valid passport and copy
This article has been published for information purposes only. For further assistance get in touch with our team of attorneys.
