South Africa Apostille Service

Certify documents issued in South Africa for official use in Europe and abroad.

Certify documents issued in South Africa for international use
Apostille South African birth and marriage certificates, SAPS Police Clearance Certificates, university diplomas, and other documents.

Apostilles on most public documents in South Africa are issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
An expedited service is available: 5 - 10 working days

Many documents can also be certified by a South African notary (often based on a scan of the document) and can then be authenticated with an Apostille stamp from the High Court in 3 - 4 business days

Right arrowFAQs - South Africa Apostille Services

Right arrowGet a Quotation to Apostille South African Documents

Right arrowCertify international documents for use in South Africa

South African Documents that can be authenticated with Apostille Stamps

  • Apostille South African unabridged and vault copy birth, marriage and death certificates

    Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates

    South African birth certificates and marriage certificates can be certified by a notary and Apostilled as true copies at the High Court. Unabridged birth and marriage certificates that have been issued by the DHA can also be submitted for an Apostille stamp on the original from DIRCO.
    We also provide assistance obtaining replacement birth and marriage certificates from the DHA in South Africa.
    Right arrowSouth African vital records
  • Obtain South African Police Clearance Certificates and apostille at DIRCO for use abroad.

    SAPS Police Clearance (PCC)

    We can apostille South African Police Clearance Certificates at DIRCO. If apostilles are needed urgently, SAPS Police Clearances can also be apostilled at the High Court by means of a notarized true copy.
    We also obtain Police Clearance Certificates from the South African Police Clearance on behalf of applicants abroad (standard and expedited service).
    Right arrowSAPS Police Clearance Certificates
  • Attest and apostille degree certificates from South Africa

    University Diplomas and Transcripts

    To apostille a South African university diploma, verification must be obtained from SAQA or Umalusi. We can obtain the necessary verification letters for your degree and submit to DIRCO for an Apostille. Alternatively, true copies can be made, notarized and authenticated with an Apostille from the High Court.
    Right arrowSouth African Qualifications

  • Notarized Documents

    Powers of Attorney, Affidavits, certified passport copies, contracts and other private documents certified by a notary in South Africa.

  • Incorporation Documents

    Certify South African corporate documents including certificates of incorporation, certificates of good standing, articles of association, board resolutions for use abroad.

  • Trade documents

    Apostille South African certificates of origin, certificates of free sale, commercial invoices, product health certificates, GMP certificates and other trade documents
  • We can obtain and apostille South African Certificates of No Impediment

    Certificates of No Impediment

    We can obtain South African Certificates of No Impediment from the Department of Home Affairs and authenticate with apostille stamps from DIRCO.
    Right arrowCertificates of No Impediment
  • Apostille certified copies of South African passports

    Passports and IDs

    South African passports and ID documents can be authenticated with an Apostille from the High Court by making a true copy certified by a South African notary. This can often be done from a good quality scan. Please contact us for details.
  • We obtain and apostille South African Driving Licence Confirmation Certificates.

    Driving Licence Confirmation

    We can obtain South African Driving Licence Confirmation Certificates issued by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC). Certificates can be authenticated with an Apostille stamp from DIRCO.
    Right arrowDriving Licence Certificates
  • Medical Reports must be authenticated by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) before submitting to DIRCO for an Apostille Stamp.

Isarey provides document attestation services in South Africa to private, corporate and institutional clients worldwide. To find out about certifying South African documents for use in Europe and abroad, use our online quotation form or email us a scan or description of the documents you need to certify. We will get back to you directly with a quotation and details of how to proceed:

6 steps to certify document issued in South Africa

  1. Upload the documents you need attested or send them to us by email.
  2. Our experts will pre-check your documents to ensure that they are eligible for Apostille certification or consular legalization in the country where they are issued, and we’ll assist you locally in preparing them if required.
  3. We’ll send you a quotation with the total cost of the process (final price including all fees, certified translation when required and courier costs) and an estimation of how long the process will take to complete.
  4. We’ll arrange a secure courier to collect your original documents (where electronic versions are not sufficient).
  5. As soon as we receive your documents, we will confirm your order and proceed with the attestation process. Where appropriate, we will arrange certified copies for the attestation process so that we can return your originals directly.
  6. We return the attested documents to you by secure international courier.

Legalize South African Documents

South African documents can be legalized for cross-border use by means of Apostille Certification or Consular Legalization

Apostille Certification

An Apostille Stamp is a simplified procedure of international attestation. When affixed to documents, Apostilles are directly recognised by the authorities of over 120 countries (Signatories of the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents Hague Apostille ConventionExternal link (opens in new tab)) as certifying the document’s validity, without requiring additional certification.

Since South Africa is a signatory to the convention, Isarey can assist by obtaining Apostille Certification for South African documents so that they are valid for official use in other signatory countries, including: NL NetherlandsNetherlands - ES SpainSpain - IT ItalyItaly - PT PortugalPortugal - GR GreeceGreece - CY CyprusCyprus - FR FranceFrance - SA Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia - DE GermanyGermany - CN ChinaChina

Consular Legalization
Consular Legalization is required when a document from South Africa is to be used in a non-signatory country. In this case, following authentication by authorities in South Africa, the document must be certified a second time in South Africa by the embassy representing the country where the document is to be used.

Countries which do not recognise Apostille certification and require consular legalization include: AE United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates - QA QatarQatar - TH ThailandThailand - TW TaiwanTaiwan - VN VietnamVietnam

Certified Translation

Where South African documents are to be used abroad and where the receiving country has a different official language, certified translation may also be required. Isarey takes care of any certified translations required as part of the document attestation process, ensuring that translations are carried out and certified in accordance with local regulations.

Note that a certified translation on its own only provides assurance that the translation itself is accurate and true; it does not confirm the authenticity of the original document. The original document must be legalized for a certified translation to carry equivalent legal weight.

South Africa Document Resources

External resources and news about South African documents, apostilles and certification procedures.

ZA
South Africa Document Resources
Birth, Death, Marriage Certificates
Birth Certificates
Right arrowwww.dha.gov.za

A copy of an unabridged birth certificate is available from the Department of Home Affairs or via the nearest South African embassy, mission or consulate if you are overseas

Criminal Record Certificates
Applying for a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
Applying for a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
Right arrowwww.saps.gov.za

Applicants living abroad may forward the application and required documents directly to Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management for processing. The applicant must monitor progress via the SAPS website and upon completion arrange for collection as indicated on the application form. This service is available to people who require confirmation of their criminal status for emigration purposes or for travel or employment abroad.

ZA
South Africa Document News
Everything you need to know about Powers of Attorney - BizNewscom
Right arrowwww.biznews.com
Understanding powers of attorney: a comprehensive guide to legal authority and mental incapacity in South Africa.
How South African Police Clearance Certificates Work
Right arrowbriefly.co.za
The process of getting a South African Police Clearance Certificate can seem complicated and lengthy at first glance, but with the right help it can be easier.

The above links are provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; Isarey bears no responsibility for the accuracy, content or policies of external websites.

Get a Quotation for your Documents

We price each certification process individually, depending on the type and quantity of documents to be attested, the country of issue, the country of use and intended purpose, urgency, whether certified translations are required as part of the process and courier costs.

To receive a quote, you can upload your documents using our online quotation form or send us your documents by email. After reviewing your documents and requirements, we will get back to you with a quotation:

If you don’t have the documents available, just describe the documents you need to certify, and we will get back to you with an estimation of cost and delivery times.

Using our quotation form, your documents will be uploaded over a secure connection and immediately encrypted on our server. For added protection, you can upload password-protected files (PDFExternal link (opens in new tab), Microsoft Office 365: Save a password protected document to prevent unauthorized people from opening it. Office DocumentsExternal link (opens in new tab), WinRAR Encryption Frequently asked question (FAQ) RAR foldersExternal link (opens in new tab)) and provide us with the passwords separately.

PERSONAL DATA: If your documents contain personal data belonging to people outside your household, please ensure that you are authorised to share this data before uploading your documents. If your documents contain sensitive personal data, such as biometric data, medical data or data on criminal convictions, please ensure that you indicate this when prompted, upon submitting your documents. For further information on our processing of personal data contained in uploaded documents, please see:
Privacy Policy (Customer Inquiries)

For further information on confidentiality in our handling of document content please see:
Confidentiality (Client Content)

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