cupcake_lindsay

Hi folks

Newbie to the forum here.

My South African fiance and I are getting married later this year. We think we're pretty clear on the process/ documents required to get married here in SA, but what we're discussing at the moment is the implications of my changing my surname.

I'm currently in SA on a temporary residence permit (critical skills) and I'm planning on applying for permanent residence shortly. I've been advised that if I apply in my maiden name that my PR permit can only be issued in that name, but that I could apply for my SA ID book in my married name.

My worry is that this means that I would have a permanent residence permit issued in my maiden name, potentially in a passport with my maiden name, and that when travelling to and from the country on my new (married name) passport, I would also have to carry my old passport with the permit and a copy of our marriage certificate to prove the name change.

I'm really keen to hear other ladies' experience of changing your name and it's effect on your residence/ work permits. Hopefully I'm over-complicating it...

The easiest solution would of course be to wait until after we're married to wait to apply for PR, but I'd prefer to do it sooner rather than later.

Thanks!!

Bermudashorts

I don't know why I saw your thread as I don't usually read this forum.

But I moved overseas for first time just after I got married and whilst work permits were in process etc. I took my time over updating names and some things I did and some things I didn't. It caused complications down the line so my advice now is to do everything in one big painful go and have everything in same name. So if you really cannot change the name on a permit after wedding, well I would wait so that everything is the same. Assuming marriage is not too far off anyway.

scot47

The practice of changing surname after marriage is not universal. This all depends where you are and where you are headed.

ededed

I really don't think this will be an issue - if you get your PR is goes into your passport in the form of a sticker. When you get married and you get your passport updated to your new name, you then take your passport back to Home Affairs in Joburg with your unabridged marriage certificate and they will update the PR stamp in your new passport.

Only the main Home Affairs offices do this (Joburg and Cape Town, for example). I did it when I got a new passport after an old one expired - it wasn't an issue at all. It took about 3 weeks - so you can't travel while it's being updated, obviously. Good luck!

cupcake_lindsay

That is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thank you!!