Botswana - Single Status Certificate / Affidavit of Marriageability

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Procedure

How to Apply
These are issued to Botswana citizens wishing to have their marriages, either to Botswana citizens or foreigners performed abroad. The certificate confirms that the applicant is single and can enter into a marriage.

Apply In-Person

1. To obtain a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage / Single Status Certificate, the person concerned has to visit the local Kgosi office within their locality in Botswana; as for Botswana living abroad can approach the Botswana mission abroad in the country in which they are living, to make the application of the certificate. (Contact details are listed below under the “Office Locations & Contacts” section on this page).
2. Applicants are required to complete the certificate of no Impediment to Marriage form, form are available for free at the Botswana mission office or the local Kgosi office.
3. Please fill the application form with the required information of the person for whom the Single status certificate is required.
4. Submit the completed form, attached to the supporting documents; as listed under the “Required Document” section on this page to the attending officer at the local kgosi office or embassy.
5. For abroad application, the application file will be forwarded to the Department of Civil and National Registration head office in Botswana for assessment and processing.
6. A letter is sent to the applicant's home district office (DC), requesting them to display the notice of the intended marriage on their notice board or do investigations through the Kgosi of the applicant's location on the marital status of the applicant.
7. The Kgosi registrar will then confirm that the marriage is registered or not; in the civil marriage register, if not registered;
8. The Kgosi Registrar will then displays the notice in a conspicuous place within the premises, for a period of twenty-one (21) days giving anyone with an objection to the intended marriage opportunity to raise his or her objection. After the lapse of the 21 days and there is no objection.
9. The applicant will be issued with a Letter of confirmation from Kgosi that one is not married. (For local application).
10. Upon completing their due diligence, the DC then writes to the civil registrar head office and, if no legal objection has been raised, the certificate is prepared in the usual way and dispatched through the usual channels after one to three months of processing, for collection by the applicant or forwarded to the mission through whom the certificate was applied.
    
    

Please Note:
for abroad application, Applicants who want their processed No Impediment to Marriage / Single Status Certificate sent to them by post are advised to attach one of the following to their request(s):

• A registered self-addressed envelope with the appropriate stamps (letter recommendée);
• A pre-paid envelope from any recognized courier service provider.
• Please note; Not all embassies offer the post/mail return service (please consult with the embassy)
  

NOTE: You can file your application via mail, in some embassies, please confirm with your embassy, if they offer this service since not all embassies offer the service

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Required Documents

• Two (2) photocopies of the applicant’s current Botswana passport-pages 30-32 & the Bio-Data page (certified by a notary public) ;( if applying from abroad)
• Valid National identity card
• Application Letter;(if applying from abroad)
• Two (2) photocopies of Botswana birth certificate (certified by a notary public).
• Two (2) photocopies of the Fiancée’s (spouse to be) passport (certified by a notary public).
• Application fee of paid by Money Order or bank cheque ;(if applying from abroad)
• If you were previously married, two photocopies of A Divorce Decree Absolute or the late spouse’s Death Certificate for divorced or widowed Botswana (certified by a notary public). These must be in English & if not, a translation is provided.
• A self-addressed registered post or express platinum post return envelope. (if applying from abroad)
• If your name has been changed by Deed Poll, the proof is necessary.

Office Locations & Contacts

Ministry of Nationality, Immigration, and Gender Affairs
Address: Block 8, Government Enclave, Khama Crescent
Private Bag 002
Gaborone
Botswana
Telephone: (+267)3611115 / 3611234 / 3611132
Fax: (+267) 3907426
Call Centre Number – 0800 600 777

Department of Civil and National Registration
Head Office,
Address: Block 8, Government Enclave, Khama Crescent
Private Bag 00240
Gaborone, Botswana
Telephone. (+267) 361 1400
Fax. (+267) 395 9998
Toll-Free Number. 0800 600 777

Ministry contact details link: Link

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL & NATIONAL REGISTRATION – OFFICES CONTACT LINK::Link

Opening hours: 7:30 to 12:45, and 13:45 to 16:30, Monday to Friday, except during public holidays

For abroad applications, please contact your nearest Botswana Embassy or High Commission to help you.

All Botswana Mission Abroad contact link; Link

Eligibility

• A citizen of Botswana intending to get married

Fees

Explain the fees structure which is required for obtaining the certificate/document.

Validity

• The validity period of the certificate is mentioned on the document
• The certificate loses its validity when the holder gets married.

Documents to Use

Please attach documents that can be used by people. e.g. links

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• The processing time for a certificate is approximately one month or approximately 3 months if applying from abroad.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

Please provide other instructions related to the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

Required Information

• Full names of the applicant
• Full name of the intended spouse
• Name of country of marriage
• Address of applicant
• Address of intended spouse
• Confirmation of age of consent
• Name of witness.
• Sex of applicant
• Race
• Religion
• Last residence in Botswana
• Occupation
• Declaration by the applicant

Need for the Document

• These are issued to Botswana citizens wishing to have their marriages, either to Botswana citizens or foreigners performed abroad.
• The certificate confirms that the applicant is single and can enter into a marriage.

Information which might help

The standard Single Status Certificate or Certificate of No Impediment may be insufficient on its own to allow a marriage to take place in a foreign country. You may be required by the foreign authorities to comply with the following, so please ensure that you allow sufficient time for processing.

• Certificates may need to be translated.
• Certificates may need to be endorsed or exchanged for a locally acceptable version issued by your Embassy or Consulate in the country where you will marry.
• Certificates may need to be legalized
• Certificates may require that witnesses swear an Affidavit stating that you are free to marry and that this is appended.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

• In Botswana, you are required to make such a declaration (or its equivalent) before a marriage license can be issued.

External Links

• Ministry link: Link
  

Others

More information which might help people.