> What we can and cannot do for you?
> Register with your Embassy!
> Passports & Emergency Travel Certificates (ETC)
> Identity Documents
> Marriages
> Births
> Death
> Citizenship
> Certification of South African Documents & Driver's License
> Notarisation (Commissioner of Oaths)
  > Travel Requirements for Children
> Advice on South African citizens travelling abroad
> Scam Letters (419 Advance Fee Fraud)
> If you are arrested or jailed overseas
> SA Police Clearance Certificate
> Authentication of Educational Certificates
> Teaching English in Korea
> Consular Fees
> Time Frames for Consular Services
 
MARRIAGES SOLEMNISED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY IN SEOUL
 

The South African Embassy in Seoul can conduct a marriage between TWO South African citizens. The Department of Home Affairs must authorise one of our diplomats as a marriage officer to conduct the ceremony for the couple. Both South African parties send us the request to get married at the Embassy at least three months prior to the marriage: consular.seoul@dirco.gov.za . Please attach a scanned copy of your South African identity documents and passports with two or three suggested dates of your marriage. The couple must produce their ORIGINAL South African identity document to our officials when they get married at the Embassy.

After the solemnisation of a marriage, two witnesses and the marriage officer will sign a marriage register (DHA-30). And, the officer will issue the parties with a handwritten marriage certificate (DHA-27) free of charge. The marriage officer will then submit the marriage register to the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria, where the marriage details will be recorded in the National Population Register (NPR).

 
 
FOREIGN MARRIAGES: MARRIAGES SOLEMNISED IN THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
 

If you are planning on getting married in the Republic of Korea, you need to follow the procedure for civil marriages governed by the Civil Act & Registration of Family Relationships Act of the Republic of Korea. Before entering into a marriage in Korea, you must ensure that you are legally allowed to marry, understand the legal consequences of a marriage, and make sure that your marriage will comply with all the legal requirements for a valid marriage. For further assistance and advice, please consult with the relevant officials at the nearest Community Center or Gu Office in your region. You may find the contact details of your district office: https://www.hikorea.go.kr/Main.pt?locale=en

1. REQUEST FOR A LETTER OF NO-IMPEDIMENT
If you are required to submit a confirmation letter or affidavit of eligibility of marriage to register a marriage in Korea, you may apply for a letter of no-impediment at the South African Embassy in Seoul. It is an official document confirming your marital status in the National Population Register (NPR) and issued by the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria. Your application submitted to the Embassy will be forwarded to the Department of Home Affairs to process. It takes 3-6 months in general cases, or longer in some cases.

2. REPORT OF A FOREIGN MARRIAGE
Marriages solemnised outside the Republic of South Africa shall be reported to the Department of Home Affair through the South African diplomatic missions abroad. It will be noted on the National Population Register (NPR) as a foreign marriage and the marital status will be updated accordingly. The Department does NOT issue a South African marriage certificate for a foreign marriage of South Africans, nor any acknowledgement of receipt. If you have registered a marriage with a country other than South Africa, you may use a foreign marriage certificate issued by the competent authority of that country. In the case of countries that do not issue a marriage certificate, you may obtain the equivalent document containing the particulars of your marriage.

South African women may assume her husband's surname, revert to her maiden surname, or join her surname with that of her husband's as a double-barrelled surname. No application to the Department of Home Affairs is necessary in these instances, but to enable the Department to update the National Population Register (NPR), women should notify the Department of such changes in writing.

3. REPORT OF A FOREIGN DIVORCE
If you have divorced in the Republic of Korea, you may report it to the Department of Home Affair through the Embassy. It will be noted on the National Population Register (NPR) as a foreign divorce and your marital status will be updated accordingly. The Department does NOT provide any document confirming your divorce report, nor any acknowledgement of receipt of your documents.

4. PROOF OF YOUR MARITAL STATUS (CONFIRMATION LETTER OF MARITAL STATUS)
If you need a proof of your marital status after the report of a foreign marriage/divorce, you may apply for a confirmation letter of marital status. This is NOT a marriage certificate. It is a document confirming your marital status (MARRIED, DIVORCED) recorded in the National Population Register (NPR) and issued by the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria. Your information will be printed in the letter as it appears on the NPR at the time of your application to the Department. It is suggested that each applicant contact the Department of Home Affairs (hacc@dha.gov.za) to confirm the result of his/her foreign marriage/divorce report BEFORE applying for this letter at the Embassy. Unfortunately, the South African Embassy in Seoul has no access to the NPR to check any personal information including marital status.

Appointment bookings are required for all the visitors to the South African Embassy in Seoul. Walk-in services are NOT available. Applicants must be physically present to the South African Embassy in Seoul on their scheduled appointment day.

 
REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR APPLICATION:

Civic applications must be submitted in person, by each applicant, to the South African Embassy in Seoul. Firstly, please print out the check-list (DOWNLOAD) and prepare all the requirements accordingly. Applicants are requested to submit the complete application WITH this check-list marked and completed by hand. It is also suggested to read and study the specimen form (Request for Confirmation of Marital Status) before you visit the Embassy. You will be given this form in ORIGINAL that day. All the forms must be completed in black ink and block letters at the Embassy.

Incomplete applications will NOT be accepted by our officials. Applicants are responsible for preparing all the required information and documentation as advised on the check-list. Should you have any queries regarding your application or require further assistance and advice on your document(s), please contact us before you lodge the application with us: consular.seoul@dirco.gov.za

 
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION TO THE EMBASSY:

If your application is ready to be submitted to the Embassy, please send an e-mail ( consular.seoul@dirco.gov.za ) for appointment bookings. Write your full names, contact number, and type of your application(s). We’ll send you a booking confirmation by e-mail. Please check the date & time of your appointment(s) in our e-mail message. For your information, the appointment time will be scheduled during our consular hours: 9am-12pm, from Monday to Friday.

NP: Please note that only those who have an appointment confirmed by e-mail are admitted to the chancery building. If you are late for more than 15 minutes of your appointment time, it will be automatically cancelled. If you cannot attend your appointment, please cancel it in time so that it can be reallocated to someone else. If you do not comply with the requirements, you will not be assisted and therefore you will have to book a new appointment.

 
PROCESSING TIME OF YOUR APPLICATION & COLLECTION:

The average processing time is 3-6 months, or longer in some cases. Applicants are requested to bear in mind that all the applications are sent to the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria for processing. The South African Embassy in Seoul is NOT in the position to expedite the process or follow up on the applications. Applicants are requested NOT to contact the Embassy unnecessarily for progress on their application. If it takes longer than the estimated timeframe, each applicant may directly contact the Department of Home Affairs’ Contact Centre about his/her application status: http://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/ask-us

  • If you have applied for a letter of no-impediment or confirmation letter of marital status as indicated in No. 1 & 4 above, the Department of Home Affairs will issue the document where the application is successful and send it to the South African Embassy in Seoul by a diplomatic bag. Upon receipt of the documents from Pretoria, we notify each applicant by e-mail. Please check the collection date & time in our e-mail message. If you have applied for two or more documents, you will receive separate messages for each document. A civic application is processed individually, and one can take longer than the other to be approved or issued.
  • If you have reported a foreign marriage/divorce to the Department of Home Affairs through the Embassy, there won’t be any document to collect from the Embassy because the Department does NOT issue an acknowledgement receipt of foreign marriage registration or divorce of South Africans abroad. Please contact the Department of Home Affairs (hacc@dha.gov.za) to confirm the result of your report. And then, if you need a proof of your updated marital status, please read 4. PROOF OF YOUR MARITAL STATUS (CONFIRMATION LETTER OF MARITAL STATUS) above.

 
 
 
SOUTH AFRICAN MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES

If your marriage was solemnised in the Republic of South Africa, you may request for an abridged or unabridged marriage certificate by the completed form(s) with the prescribed fee. Your application submitted to the South African Embassy in Seoul will be forwarded to the Department of Home Affairs to process. It takes 6-12 months in general cases, or longer in some cases. Please note that the Department of Home Affairs does NOT issue a marriage certificate for foreign marriages of South Africans abroad. If you got married in Korea, you cannot apply for a marriage certificate at the South African Embassy in Seoul.

Appointment bookings are required for all the visitors to the South African Embassy in Seoul. Walk-in services are NOT available. Applicants must be physically present to the South African Embassy in Seoul on their scheduled appointment day.

 
REQUIREMENTS FOR YOUR APPLICATION:

Civic applications must be submitted in person, by each applicant, to the South African Embassy in Seoul. Firstly, please print out the check-list (DOWNLOAD) and prepare all the requirements accordingly. Applicants are requested to submit the complete application WITH this check-list marked and completed by hand. It is also suggested to read and study the specimen form (DHA-130 & BI-529) before you visit the Embassy. You will be given this request form in ORIGINAL that day. All the forms must be completed in black ink and block letters at the Embassy.

Incomplete applications will NOT be accepted by our officials. Applicants are responsible for preparing all the required information and documentation as advised on the check-list. Should you have any queries regarding your application or require further assistance and advice on your document(s), please contact us before you lodge the application with us: consular.seoul@dirco.gov.za

 
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION TO THE EMBASSY:

If your application is ready to be submitted to the Embassy, please send an e-mail (consular.seoul@dirco.gov.za) for appointment bookings. Write your full names, contact number, and type of your application(s). We’ll send you a booking confirmation by e-mail. Please check the date & time of your appointment(s) in our e-mail message. For your information, the appointment time will be scheduled during our consular hours: 9am-12pm, from Monday to Friday.

NP: Please note that only those who have an appointment confirmed by e-mail are admitted to the chancery building. If you are late for more than 15 minutes of your appointment time, it will be automatically cancelled. If you cannot attend your appointment, please cancel it in time, so that it can be reallocated to someone else. If you do not comply with the requirements, you will not be assisted and therefore you will have to book a new appointment.

 
PROCESSING TIME OF YOUR APPLICATION & COLLECTION:

The average processing time is 6 months, up to 12 months in some cases. Applicants are requested to bear in mind that all the applications are sent to the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria for processing. The South African Embassy in Seoul is NOT in the position to expedite the process or follow up on the applications. Applicants are requested NOT to contact the Embassy unnecessarily for progress on their application. If it takes longer than the estimated timeframe, each applicant may directly contact the Department of Home Affairs’ Contact Centre about his/her application status: http://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/ask-us

Newly issued marriage certificates are dispatched from the Department of Home Affairs to our head office in Pretoria, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), and then, from DIRCO to the South African Embassy in Seoul by a diplomatic bag. Upon receipt of the document from Pretoria, we notify each applicant by e-mail. Please check the collection date & time in our e-mail message. If you have applied for two or more documents, you will receive separate messages for each document. A civic application is processed individually, and one can take longer than the other to be approved or issued.

 
 
   
   

   
  Untitled Document