European marrying a South African?

Question

Hi, I am holder of European passport. My fiancé is a South African guy, but her has got both South African and Irish passports. I was wondering if anyone here can share their experience- would it be easier for us to register our marriage here, in the UK, or register it in South Africa? We initially planned to get married in SA, but now are thinking of having a low-profile ceremony here and then a huge party and ceremony on SA later this year.

Answer 1

Register it in the UK, trying to get any information out of the South African Home Affairs is like pulling teeth out of a chicken! We've been married for over a year now and are living overseas and we're still trying to get the official marriage certificate from Home Affairs.



And like the previous poster said, it's always easier to have things like this registered in the country where you're planning on living after the wedding. That way if there is anything that needs changing or doing they're right there by you instead of thousands of miles and a few time zones away.



Also, if it's in the area where you live now then chances are that more of your friends and nearby family can attend. It should be easy enough to fly his family over to attend the low-profile ceremony as well.



Good luck.

Answer 2

Where are you planning to actually live? Wherever you will be living after the wedding, you should marry there and also start the immigration process ASAP.



If you will marry in the UK and want to have a "second reception" in SA so his family can attend, I think that's a great idea. If you'll already be legally married by then it shouldn't be presented as a wedding, but it might be neat to take a photodisk of some of your wedding pictures with you and then have them printed for the second reception. Plus you can still to a guest book and cake an all of that, in addition to observing any customs of his culture.

Answer 3

I may suggest to ask your embassy regarding this matter...good luck both of you...