Marrying and Sponsoring an Angolan Citizen
Listen to this articleIf you are planning to marry your Angolan spouse in Angola and sponsor him or her to Canada, then you have come to the right place. This page provides basic details that as a Canadian you need to know before traveling to Angola to marry your Angolan spouse and sponsor him or her for permanent residence.
Marriage to an Angolan Citizen
Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to an Angolan citizen with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps. The Angolan government imposes strict requirements on foreigners who marry Angolans as an indirect way of discouraging Angolan citizens from moving to other countries.
You must demonstrate to Angolan officials that they are not currently married to anyone else – either you have never been married or all divorces are finalized – that your identity is proven, and that you have never committed any crimes in Angola. This is done by providing various documents including an Affidavit of Single Status to the Angolan government either in Angola or via an Angolan embassy.
If you want to bring your Angolan spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.
Angolan Marriage Basic Requirements
For a Canadian citizen to get married in Angola, he or she should put the following documents in place
- Birth Certificate
- Residence Certificate (Atestado de Residencia) issued by the local autorities and a valid us passport
- ID or Residence Card
- Affidavit of eligibility to marry or statement (Capacidade Matrimonial)
- The Couple need to be present in one of the Vital Record Offices in Angola (Conservatória de Registo Civil)
- Have handy 10 stamps of 10 kz each.
The following documents must be authenticated before they can be accepted
- Birth Certificate (Certified copy)
- Valid Canadian passport (Certified copy)
- Affidavit of eligibility to marry or statement (Canadian citizen must sign it before the Consular Officer)
- Notarial fees cost $30 per service (in cash only)
Canadian documents need to be translated into Portuguese by local translators (not by the consulate) and certified by the Consular Officer.
Angolan Marriage Ceremony
The marriage ceremony to an Angolan citizen can legally take place in Angola, Canada, or any other country as long as both parties have the necessary visas to enter this country legally. This marriage can then be recognized when applying for a permanent residence or a visitor visa for your Angolan spouse. To learn more about cereomny customs, see below.
Family Members
If your Angolan spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the Angolan Marriage document application.
If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry an Angolan citizen.
How long is the Angolan Marriage document valid?
The document is valid for 6 months from the date of issue. If you do not marry your Angolan fiancé within 6 months of the issuance of the Angolan Marriage document, you must apply again with new supporting documents.
List of Angolan Consulates in Canada
To call Angola from Canada
Dial 011 – 244 – Area Code – TEL #
The format should be as follows 011 + 244 + phone number
How to call Canada from Angola
Dial 00 – 1 – Area Code – TEL #
Follow the dialing format shown above while calling Canada from Angola.
- 00 – Exit code for Angola, and is needed for making any international call from Angola
- 1 – ISD Code or Country Code of Canada
There are 18 area codes in Canada. The area code is the first three digits of your telephone number
After hours emergency contact information for Canadian citizens in Angola
Please note that Canada does not operate a diplomatic mission in Angola. In an emergency, you should contact the Canadian Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe using the information provided below.
E-mail: [email protected]
Call collect: (613) 996-8885 / (613) 944-1310 (TTY) – The Emergency Operations Centre of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. An experienced officer is always available to respond to emergency calls from anywhere in the world.
You can also phone the numbers above and follow the recorded instructions to reach the Emergency Operations Centre.
In a number of countries, you can also call the 24/7 Operations Centre toll-free.
Sponsorship Review
Immigroup will review your completed spousal sponsorship application.. Immigroup will make sure you have not made any mistakes on your application or in gathering the documentation of your relationship. We will assess your sponsorship letter and give you peace of mind that you are submitting an application with a very good chance of success. Don’t lose sleep at night worrying about whether you’ve done enough. Call us at 1-866-760-2623 for a review.
