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Marriage records, where do I find them?

Where do I find Marriage Records in South Africa?

The initial starting point to get a copy of a marriage certificate is:

Department of Home Affairs

For these certificates you will need to apply+ to the Department of Home Affairs, the official holding office for South African  marriages. Applications should be lodged at your nearest Home Affairs office if applying from within South Africa. If living abroad, you should contact the nearest South African Embassy, Consulate or High Commission. Always request a full, unabridged vault copy. There is no public access at all to the marriages registers or indexes held at the Department of Home Affairs.

When contacting the Department of Home Affairs

Expect delays as they are very understaffed. Average waiting time is three months.
Take down the details of any official you deal with.
Supply an ID number for the person whose certificate you wish to obtain to speed up the process.
There is a charge of R45.00 per item.

National Archives

The National Archives is the custodian for marriage certificates on behalf of the Department of Home Affairs up to the early 1970′s. A closed period of 20 years is applicable for access to  Marriages records.

Below is a table for commencing dates for the registration of  marriages in the various old provinces:

Province Marriages
Cape 1700
Natal 1845
Transvaal 1870
Orange Free State 1848

These indexes and registers are heavy and cumbersome. You will first need to know exactly which magisterial district the event took place before you can request the index. These indexes are not made available electronically, but the Western Cape indexes can be searched on Ancestry24. The Home Affairs Western Cape Index (HAWC) is housed in the Cape Town Archives as are the Home Affairs Eastern (HAEC) and  Home Affairs Northern Cape (HANC).

How to search for marriage certificates in the Archives

As an example, if someone was married in Cape Town you will need to check places like Cape Town Central, Wynberg, Docks, Green Point, See Point, Woodstock, Observatory etc – all separate registers. To find the marriage certificate of an individual you will need to first consult the index to the marriages in the area in which it was registered, e.g. Worcester. The earliest reference number begins with 1/3/57/4/1 – which covers 1895 to June 1905.

Once you have got the register 1/3/57/4/1 you will need to look for the dates between 1895 – 1905 for that marriage registration.
The size of the initial index will depend on how many volumes of registers.
Some of these books are very large and the pages are difficult to photograph because of the size. They are on the top floor of the archives. First make sure you get your volume numbers correct before you attempt to order any of these books. Once ordered, be prepared for a very long wait.

Black marriages

Records of black marriages can be found under the Superintendent of Native Affairs in the Cape Town Archives covering the years 1877 – 1900.

Other resources

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21 Responses to “Marriage records, where do I find them?”

  1. Heather MacAlister September 6, 2009 at 12:31 am #

    Hi Bill I suggest you go to our Learning Centre and read the article on Births where you will find the answer – unfortunately there is no civil registration list available to the public in South Africa for birth, marriage and death certificates like in the UK.

  2. Maureen51612 September 23, 2009 at 6:06 am #

    Heather MacAlister – Would like to hear from you I am working on the McAlister family Tree descendents of Robert McAlister (Born 1826 in Glasgow died 1910) He came to South Africa aprox 1854. Robert McAlister appears to have had nearly 20 children!!!!! Maureen McAlister

  3. Heather MacAlister September 24, 2009 at 1:43 am #

    Hi Maureen

    I am always interested in hearing from other fellow McAlister’s, however my family came from Tigneabruiach in Kames and only moved to Glasgow in the early 1900′s. Perhaps you should contact Desmond McAlister as he has done a lot of research in South Africa – he has been very quite for some time but you can find his web site here:
    http://www.desmond-mcallister.info/Eng/index.htm
    best wishes
    Heather

  4. Maureen51612 September 24, 2009 at 2:43 am #

    Thank you Heather – it is a very interesting site. Regards Maureen

  5. daviddwttmar November 7, 2009 at 8:06 am #

    I am looking for information on Daisey Ewan who died in Pietermaritzburg KZN South Africa. She died between 1980 -1999. Any one with info on her please comtact me at [email protected] I thank anyone who can help.
    David Dettmar

  6. whiteknight December 24, 2009 at 10:55 am #

    Hi there

    I am looking for records of my ancestor William Hermanus Charles Knight. I hit a brickwall in the WC Archives as no death notice is available. He died in 1914 in an apparent railway accident where he worked. He was born 27th September 1866

    • Heather MacAlister December 27, 2009 at 3:04 pm #

      Hi Shaun

      It is important to remember that not everybody has a death notice or deceased estate papers – this depends on whether he had property eg movable or immovable.

      I suggest you search for his death certificate which you can only do manually in the Cape Town Archives. If he died in a railway accident there might be an inquest. If he had a any siblings or a wife then you should look for their estate papers for more clues.
      best wishes
      Heather

  7. Heather MacAlister December 27, 2009 at 2:54 pm #

    Hello David

    You will need to search the Government Gazettes to find a reference to her deceased estate and then you will need to apply for a copy from the Master of the High Court

    regards
    Heather

  8. Marcus Fischer December 28, 2009 at 2:52 pm #

    hi just applied for Abridged Birth certificates and costs are now at R700 with a waiting period of 3-6 months!!!!!!! so be patient

    • Heather MacAlister December 28, 2009 at 2:57 pm #

      Hi Marcus

      That price cannot be from the Department of Home affairs – looks like someone is ripping you off !
      regards
      Heather

  9. Lynn46800 January 6, 2010 at 7:08 pm #

    Hi I am looking for information on my paternal grandfather Arthur Clement Chapman who came to join the SA Police about 1910, he came from India, I would really appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction. I am also trying to find a record of one Julian Rust who was my fathers cousin and died in Durban en route to England. I am finding this site very difficult to get started on.

    Regards
    Lynn

  10. glynnmac January 7, 2010 at 9:06 am #

    Hi, I am new to this site and have decided it time to build my family tree. The MacKenzie’s arrived in the Eastern Cape in 1892, from Scotland and settled in Komga, Transkei. Has anyone info on the family?

  11. Heather MacAlister March 6, 2010 at 4:36 pm #

    Hi Mel

    I suggest you post your message on our forum boards under the section of Lost Friends and Relatives.
    http://forums.ancestry24.com/

    You should also download our FREE beginners guide on the front page of Ancestry24 that will give you lots of tips and as well as guide on how to begin.
    kind regards
    Heather

  12. Karl Smith March 7, 2010 at 10:29 am #

    Hi. I am desperately looking for information on my great-grandmother. She was born on 31st July 1899 somewhere in the Cape Province and died in Durban on 29 October 1978. How can i get this information. I am trying to find out who her parents were. Please email me at [email protected] .

    Thanks
    Karl

  13. Thommy Jacobsen March 27, 2010 at 2:20 pm #

    Hi, I am looking for information about my father, named Thomas Henry Timms. I do not have a correct birth date, and wish to know where he is buried. He died in 1948.
    Many thanks,
    Thommy

    • Heather MacAlister March 28, 2010 at 4:08 pm #

      Hello Thommy

      It appears that Thomas Henry Timm’s deceased estate papers are housed in the Pretoria Archives

      DEPOT TAB
      SOURCE MHG
      TYPE LEER
      VOLUME_NO 0
      SYSTEM 01
      REFERENCE 3675/48
      PART 1
      DESCRIPTION TIMMS, THOMAS HENRY.
      STARTING 19480000
      ENDING 19480000
      REMARKS SURVIVING SPOUSE ELIZABETH MARGARET ELLEN TIMMS (BORN ADAMS)
      PREDECEASED SPOUSE ELIZA ANN LIVERTON TIMMS.

      You will either need to go in personally, pay a private researcher or contact them and hopefully they will be able to help you. There will be a fee for obtaining these documents.

      National Archives Repository

      The Head
      Postal address: Private Bag X236, PRETORIA 0001
      Street address: 24 Hamilton Street, Arcadia, PRETORIA
      Tel: (012) 441 3200. Fax: (012) 323 5287
      Fax to e-mail: 086 529 6414
      E-mail: [email protected]

      To find out more about what documents are in the deceases estate you can look in our Learning Centre:
      https://ancestry24.co.za/learning-centre/modern-deceased-estates/
      regards
      Heather

  14. Thommy Jacobsen March 31, 2010 at 2:49 pm #

    Hello Heather,
    Thank you so much for the information that you supplied. It was spot on with names and I am very wary that it will take a while to find what I am looking for. I will let you know if I was successful.
    Your service is very much appreciated.
    Thank you once again.
    Thommy Jacobsen

  15. arthi April 4, 2010 at 10:17 pm #

    Hi
    I am looking for a colonial number of my grandfather Kassidas Lutchman Gajee,born in Newcastle KZN and is of Indian descend. He was born in 1916. Please assist if possible
    My mail is [email protected]

    thank you
    arthi

  16. mlennox April 20, 2010 at 1:22 am #

    I wish I did, I am guess around 1920 – 1950. Thanks for your comments