The Sunday Mail
Tendai Mbirimi
Bridal writer
Love respects neither distance nor boundaries, but where there is depth of character and adoration, borders are crossed.
Zimbabwe is not a country in isolation and there is no discrimination whatsoever when it comes to marriage. Any grown up person can marry whomever they please including foreigners. The same way the country does business with all countries on this planet, welcoming investors with open arms.
However, just like in business transactions there are rules to be followed if a Zimbabwean national intends to marry a foreigner.
A marriage certificate gives one a right to seek citizenship in Zimbabwe hence stringent requirements by the immigration department.
For the benefit of those who will find themselves in such cross border love dilemmas, Rev Simba Woloza, founding leader of the Strong Bonds Marriages Initiative and Africa Marriages in Diaspora (AMD), takes us through the step by step clearance process for one to marry under the Zimbabwean laws:
1) The foreign spouse will need to obtain a non-marriage certificate from his or her country.
In other countries this document is also known as the certificate of non-impediment. This is a document that proves that one is not married in his or her country of origin.
In some countries this document may take some months to come out so make sure you start the process as early as you can.
2) The local spouse is also required to get a non-marriage certificate. This document is obtained from the Marriages Office at the Registrar of Marriages.
There is an amount of money that is paid. For every year of single-hood you get to pay for it if you are marrying a foreigner. You must produce your original birth certificate and copy thereof.
The statutory fee is 50 cents per year calculated from the 13th birthday to date of marriage for males and 11th birthday to date of marriage in case of female spouses. The amount arrived at will be added to the non-marriage certificate fee, which is $30. Duration for processing the non-marriage certificate averages one week.
3) The foreign fiancé is also required to obtain police clearance from his or her country of origin. This is to establish if he/she is not a fugitive. It is advisable to make sure that all these documents that emanate from your fiancé’s country are photocopied and certified by public notaries. If documents are in other languages other than English then they have to be translated into English.
Please enquire from the immigration office concerning acceptable translators and certifiers.
4) Armed with the police clearance and non-marriage certificate your spouse must make sure that he or she comes to Zimbabwe at least two weeks prior to your wedding date.
5) Once in the country the foreign spouse must get a police clearance from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).This vetting can take up to a week and you are required to present your fingerprints ( both of you), which can be done at most police stations. Once you have been vetted you will be issued with local police clearances.
6) The foreign spouse must also visit his or her local embassy for verification of his or her non-marriage certificate. The embassy will put stamp on the document and issue a supporting letter confirming that indeed the documents originated from its country.
7) The local spouse must then write an application letter requesting the department of immigration to grant his/her spouse permission to marry in Zimbabwe.
The letter together with all the documents should be submitted to the department for vetting. If the application is successful a marriage clearance will then be issued.
8) The last port of call is the magistrate where the couple will obtain a marriage licence. The process at the magistrate usually takes about two to three days.
Please note that you must be dressed formally whenever you visit the courts. Once issued with the marriage licence, the couple now qualifies to marry under the Zimbabwean laws.
They can either request the services of the same magistrate or engage a minister of religion who is a marriage officer to marry them and issue them with a marriage certificate.
It is worth noting that local ministers of religion are only allowed to solemnise a marriage between a Zimbabwean and a foreigner if the couple has been granted a marriage licence by the magistrate.
