Get your Letter of No Impediment fast

Do you need to obtain a South African Letter of No Impediment from the Department of Home Affairs urgently? We’ll assist with the paperwork, submit your application, follow up with the DHA, collect it when its ready and ship it worldwide to you.

Peace of Mind

We take care of the entire process for you, from application, to communication, collection and delivery to your doorstep

Fastest Turnaround time

We ensure that the Letter of No Impediment is issued in as little as 3-4 weeks, and collect by hand as soon as it is ready

Additional Options

We can arrange additional translation, apostilisation or legalisation of the Unabridged Birth Certificate for your destination country

Free Consultation

Email us at [email protected], or fill out the form below and our experts will contact you to find out your exact requirements.

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All Prices Include 15% VAT

Price:

R3500 (3-4 weeks)
Including Home Affairs fees

Payment Options include Visa Mastercard, EFT or Wire Transfer

Apostille:
(optional)

R1750 (7-15 days)

Shipping:

R250 National Overnight

R950 International

Notes:

The DHA Unabridged Birth Certificate often needs to be apostilled or legalised at DIRCO for use internationally. Click here for more details

Other:

Some countries will not accept apostilles and require specialist legalisation procedures.

Get your Letter of No Impediment from the Department of Home Affairs

A Letter of No Impediment, also known as a Letter of Non Impediment, Certificate of No Impediment or single status certificate is an official South African government document that confirms the current marital status of an individual and confirms the right of the individual to get married. It is only valid for six months from the date of issue, and is a letter issued by the head office of the Department of Home Affairs.

A Letter of No Impediment is requested by foreign authorities when South African nationals want to get married in foreign countries. The certificate will also often need to go to DIRCO for apostilling or legalisation for use overseas, contact us for more details.

Download PDF Application Form

Please note: In order for a Letter of No/Non impediment to be apostilled it has to be stamped and issued by Head Office of the DHA. Letters issued from regional offices will not be accepted

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How To Apply For your Letter of No Impediment

Download the application form, complete it, scan it and email it to us along with a copy of your ID or Passport.
We will check the form and confirm receipt and send you an invoice.
Once we receive payment we will submit your application to Home Affairs the next day and confirm submission with you.
We follow up and ensure that everything is being processed and once Home Affairs has completed the process we collect it the following business day.
We follow and ensure that everything is being processed and once the HPCSA has completed the process we collect it the following business day.
We send you a high resolution scan of the verified document to ensure that all the details are correct and for your peace of mind.
Once you have confirmed that all details are correct we send it for apostilling (if you have ordered that option), or courier it directly to you. Local courier takes 1 business day, worldwide courier takes 4-5 days.

DIRCO Apostille Legalisation

The Unabridged Birth Certificate often has to be attested with an apostille at DIRCO for use internationally.

An apostille is a certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document so it can be accepted in countries that are party to the Apostille Convention

find out more about apostilles & legalisation

More Information

If you are a South African citizen hoping to get married outside of South Africa, you will need to obtain this Letter of No Impediment from Home Affairs in order to prove to the overseas authorities that you are not married in South Africa.

In South Africa, this document is known as a letter of No Impediment, Letter of Non Impediment or Certificate of Non Impediment. Internationally, this document is known as a Single Status Certificate or Single Status Letter, Non Impediment Letter, Certificate of Freedom to Marry, Certificate of Nulla Osta or Certificate de Coutume.

The Letter of No Impediment is only valid for 6 months, making the timing of application very important, especially if, as often is the case, the letter also needs to be apostilled before being accepted for us overseas.

Download PDF Application Form

Frequently Asked Questions

What information does the Letter of No Impediment have on it?

The Letter of No Impediment confirms the marital status of the individual concerned. If a person is single the letter usually contains the following text:

“This is to certify that according to the records of the National Population Register, the marital status of the above-named person is reflected as: SINGLE and is free to enter into marriage in any country.”

What if the Letter of No Impediment says that I am divorced?

If you are divorced the foreign authorities are probably going to want to see a legalised (high court apostilled) copy of your divorce decree in addition to this letter. Contact us for further details.

Does this birth certificate have an expiry date?

The Letter of no impediment is generally valid for 6 months

Please check with your local authorities or embassy whether the letter has to be issued and submitted within a defined timeframe.

Is there any expedited or faster option to get this certificate?

The fastest turnaround time to get the Letter of No Impediment issued at the DHA is 3-4 weeks. The letter has to be issued by Head Office and then sent to the branch of application. It is possible that we can get this quicker but we cannot guarantee it.

Do I need to get this certificate apostilled or legalised for my current country?

Every country has different rules and regulations regarding apostilles. In general this letter will need to be apostilled or legalised at DIRCO for use overseas.

We strongly suggest that you check with your local embassy or government authority whether this letter needs to be apostilled, legalised or translated..

Are you affiliated or accredited with the DHA or DIRCO?

Embassy Services (Pty) Ltd is a private company and not a government department or High Court issuing body or associated with the Department of Home Affairs or any foreign embassy. We provide consulting, submission and collection services, and charge for our expertise and for successfully and quickly obtaining and legalising documents.

While we endeavour to obtain and get all documentation processed and legalised in the shortest possible time, we cannot be held responsible for any delay at a government department or foreign embassy that is out of our control. Please see our terms and conditions for details

I have another question about this service

We would be happy to assist. Simply email us or call or whatsapp us on +27 10 500 5320 and we will respond asap!

About Embassy Services

We’re a document and legalisation services company based in Johannesburg, South Africa. We specialise in obtaining documents and legalising them for use internationally, from government departments such as Home Affairs to High Court notarisation and apostilles at DIRCO.

Our focus is on fast turnaround times and impeccable customer service, we keep you continually updated at every step of the process, and ensure that your specific needs are filled to your exact requirements

Call or Whatsapp us on +27 10 500 5320 or email us at [email protected].