Home affairs now also issues marriage licences

The department of home affairs offers additional services under Level 3 regulations.

During Level 3, the department will also provide marriage services and receive requests for late registration of birth, by appointment. This is in addition to the services rendered in Level 4, namely, issuance of uncollected identity documents, issuance of temporary identity certificates, registration of births and deaths, reissue of birth and death certificates, and issuance of passports to those in export and cargo transport.

Home affairs offices are open Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 3.30pm.

For marriages, couples are required to book an appointment at their nearest home affairs office. On the day of the marriage, couples are requested to visit the office with only their witnesses to keep the number of people to a bare minimum.

An appointment is also required when applying for a late registration of birth (LRB), which refers to a birth registration application lodged after 30 days of such a birth.

Children born during the lockdown will not follow the LRB process. This includes children who were born from February 26, 2020, but could not be registered because of the lockdown.

The department invites citizens whose smart ID cards are not yet collected to visit offices where they had applied to collect these cards.

All offices were disinfected and visitors must wear masks and observe social-distancing protocols.

As part of coordinated security operations, the inspectorate will ensure that any undocumented or illegal nationals who are detained will be subject to deportation.

Refugee reception offices remain closed. However, permits issued lawfully and expired during the lockdown would be deemed to be valid until July 31, 2020.

No visa or permitting functions will be open in SA and at missions abroad during Level 3.