To check your marital status in South Africa, contact the Department of Home Affairs (DHA): call the DHA Contact Centre on 0800 60 11 90, email hacc@dha.gov.za, or visit a DHA office with your ID. The free SMS check to 32551 was shut down in August 2026. This page also explains what you can and cannot find out about someone else, and how to fix a wrong record.
In summary
- Your own status: call 0800 60 11 90 (toll-free), email hacc@dha.gov.za with your ID number, or ask for a printout at a DHA office.
- Online or by SMS: there is no official online, SMS or USSD marital status check. The 32551 SMS line was discontinued in August 2026.
- Someone else: DHA does not give out another person’s marital status. Ask them to check and show you the result, or use a consent-based verification service.
- Proof on paper: for a bank, embassy or employer, you need a documented result, such as a DHA printout or a Letter of No Impediment (Form DHA-1155).
- Wrong record: a marriage you never entered can be fraud. Report it to SAPS and DHA straight away.
How to check your own marital status in South Africa
DHA records your marital status (unmarried, married, divorced or widowed) against your ID number in the National Population Register (NPR). You can check it three ways, all free:
- Call the DHA Contact Centre on 0800 60 11 90. Give your ID number and ask what marital status is recorded against it.
- Email hacc@dha.gov.za with your full name, ID number and a request to confirm your recorded marital status. South African missions abroad tell applicants to confirm their status this way before applying for a Letter of No Impediment.
- Visit a DHA office with your green ID book or Smart ID card and ask for a printout of your marital status from the population register. Ask at the counter whether a fee applies.
A phone or email answer is enough for your own peace of mind. If you need to show someone proof, get it in writing (see below).
Can I check my marital status online?
No official DHA online check exists. eHomeAffairs handles Smart ID and passport applications, not marital status, and the SMS check to 32551 was discontinued in August 2026 after DHA confirmed to MyBroadband that fraudsters had used it for phishing. There is no replacement SMS number and no USSD code. Full details: DHA Marital Status Check (32551) Discontinued.
Websites that promise an instant online result from your ID number are private services, not DHA. Only give your ID number to a service you trust.
How to check if someone else is married in South Africa
DHA does not publish marital status, and the Contact Centre will generally only confirm a person’s status to that person. There is no public register you can search by name or ID number. Your practical options:
- Ask them to check and show you. The most reliable proof is a DHA printout or a Letter of No Impediment in their name, dated recently.
- Use a consent-based verification service. With the person’s knowledge and consent, a verification agency can obtain a documented result.
- Through a legal process. Attorneys, courts and conveyancers can obtain marital status where the law requires it, for example in a divorce, estate or property transfer.
If you are about to marry someone, DHA also checks both of you before the marriage is registered: the marriage officer must confirm you are both free to marry, and a previous marriage that is still on record will block registration.
Need a Documented, Verifiable Result?
If you need something you can hand to a bank, embassy or employer as proof, not just a verbal confirmation, Apostil.co.za provides a documented marital status check for exactly that. It is a paid private service, not part of DHA.
If you are marrying abroad, the document foreign authorities usually ask for is a Letter of No Impediment on Form DHA-1155. It is valid for six months, and for use abroad it must be issued by DHA head office, not a regional office.
Why checking your status matters
- Before you get married: a previous marriage that was never updated to divorced or widowed will stop your new marriage from being registered.
- Before applying for a marriage certificate: if DHA has no record of your marriage, a Form DHA-130 application will fail. Confirm the record exists first.
- Before visa, residence or property applications: embassies, banks and conveyancers rely on DHA’s record. A mismatch causes delays or rejections.
- To catch marriage fraud early: people have found out years later that a stranger was married to them using their ID number.
What to do if your status is wrong
It says married, but you have never married: this may be a fraudulent marriage. Follow the fraud steps below immediately.
It says unmarried, but you are married: the marriage may never have been registered, for example because the marriage officer did not submit the register. See Marriage Not Registered at Home Affairs.
It says married, but you are divorced: court orders are not always recorded on DHA’s system. Take a certified copy of your final divorce decree to a DHA office and ask for your status to be updated. Until it is, you cannot register a new marriage.
It says married, but your spouse has died: the death may not have been registered, or the record was not linked. Contact DHA with the death certificate.
The name, date or other detail is wrong: see Wrong Information on Your Marriage Certificate.
Fraudulent marriages: what to do
A fraudulent marriage is one registered using your ID without your knowledge. In a parliamentary reply, the Minister of Home Affairs said DHA encountered 1,614 fraudulent marriages between January and November 2023, and that where there is proof an ID was stolen, DHA annuls the marriage.
Signs you may be affected:
- DHA tells you that you are married to someone you do not know
- your application to marry, or to change your surname, is rejected because of an existing marriage
- you are refused a Letter of No Impediment
Steps to take:
- Make a sworn statement at SAPS saying you have no knowledge of the marriage, and get a case number.
- Report it at a DHA office with your ID, the SAPS statement and case number. DHA investigates, including checking whether a marriage register exists and your fingerprints on it.
- Report corruption to the national anti-corruption hotline that DHA publishes: 0800 701 701, or email report.corruption@dha.gov.za.
- Follow up in writing with the Contact Centre (hacc@dha.gov.za) and keep every reference number.
- If DHA does not act, an attorney can apply to the High Court to have the record expunged, and you can complain to the Public Protector on 0800 112 040.
Act quickly. A fraudulent marriage can block your own marriage, a surname change, a Letter of No Impediment and other applications until it is removed.
If the record is wrong after a divorce or a spouse’s death, see what to do when your marital status is wrong at Home Affairs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I check my marital status online in South Africa?
No. DHA has no online marital status check, and eHomeAffairs does not show it. Call the DHA Contact Centre on 0800 60 11 90, email hacc@dha.gov.za, or visit a DHA office with your ID.
How do I check my marital status with my ID number?
Call 0800 60 11 90 or email hacc@dha.gov.za and give your ID number. DHA looks up the status recorded against that number in the population register.
Is there an SMS number or USSD code to check marital status?
No. The SMS check (M and your ID number to 32551) was discontinued in August 2026 after it was abused for phishing, and DHA has no USSD code for marital status.
Can I check my marital status for free?
Yes. The Contact Centre number is toll-free and email is free. Private verification services charge a fee.
How do I check if someone is married in South Africa?
You cannot look it up yourself. DHA generally confirms marital status only to the person it belongs to. Ask the person to check and show you a DHA printout or a Letter of No Impediment, or use a verification service with their consent.
How do I check if my marriage has been registered?
Ask DHA what status is recorded against your ID number. If it still says unmarried after your wedding, see Marriage Not Registered at Home Affairs.
I am divorced but Home Affairs still shows me as married. What do I do?
Take a certified copy of your final divorce decree to a DHA office and ask for your status to be updated. Until it is, you cannot register a new marriage.
What is a Letter of No Impediment?
A DHA letter confirming you are not married and are free to marry, applied for on Form DHA-1155. It is valid for six months. For use abroad, it must come from DHA head office.
I got married abroad. Will Home Affairs show me as married?
Only once the foreign marriage is registered with DHA. See Register a Foreign Marriage in South Africa.
What if Home Affairs says I am married to someone I do not know?
Treat it as possible fraud. Make a sworn statement at SAPS, report it at a DHA office, and report corruption on 0800 701 701. DHA annuls the marriage where it finds your ID was used without your knowledge.
Official contact details
| Channel | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Marital status SMS (32551) | Discontinued | Shut down in August 2026 after phishing abuse |
| DHA Contact Centre | Active | 0800 60 11 90 (toll-free) |
| DHA Contact Centre email | Active | hacc@dha.gov.za |
| National anti-corruption hotline | Active | 0800 701 701, report.corruption@dha.gov.za |
| DHA website | Active | dha.gov.za |