Marriage in Zambia
Updated 11 December 2018
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1. Procedure
Any person wishing to get married in Zambia must complete Affidavits and Notice of Marriage forms which are available from the Civic Centre in Lusaka. The completed forms must be submitted to the Local Government Administrator’s Office at the Civic Centre where a Certificate of No Impediment (CNI) will be issued for production to the person who is to solemnise the marriage. Both parties will be required to produce their original birth certificates. It normally takes 3 weeks to process a CNI. There is, however, a fast-track service and the CNI can be issued within 24 hours.
Once the marriage has taken place, the certificate must be taken to the Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths in order to register the marriage and to obtain a Registrar’s Certificate of Marriage. This must be done within three months of the marriage ceremony. At least one of the parties to the marriage must be resident within the district for at least 15 days prior to the ceremony taking place. The Registrar’s Office, however, advises that this is rarely enforced. Please note that same sex marriages are not allowed or recognised in Zambia.
Further information can be obtained from the Registrar’s Office in Lusaka by telephone: +260 211 228 196/ 197/ 201 or by fax: +260 211 236 427.
2. Disclaimer
This information on marrying in Zambia is provided as a general guide and is based upon information provided to the FCDO by the relevant local authorities. FCDO does not guarantee that this information is accurate and will not be liable for any inaccuracies in this information. British nationals wishing to obtain information about marriage must also contact the relevant local authority to be sure of the requirements that they need in order for their ceremony to go ahead.