Apostille Education Certificates

Authenticate South African degree certificates and academic diplomas for use abroad

South African degree certificates and academic qualifications are authenticated for submission to authorities abroad with an Apostille Stamp from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).

Apostilles are processed by DIRCO in 4 - 8 weeks

Before submission to DIRCO, certificates must be verified (for example by SAQA, UNISA or Umalusi) Allow additional time for initial verification of the degree and, where required, for attestation by the recipient embassy.

Qualifications may also be authenticated with apostilles from the High Court by making a notarized copy.
High Court Apostilles take 3 - 4 business days

Documents needed for countries that have not acceded to the Apostille Convention (e.g. United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Taiwan, Qatar) require additional attestation by the embassy fo the recipient country in Pretoria.

To authenticate Degree certificates from South African universities, the first step is to obtain a letter of verification from the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). To obtain the verification letter, attach a completed the consent form (available on the SAQA website) and send the form with copies of the qualification, national identification document or valid passport to SAQA.

• SAQA Verifications Service
• SAQA degree verification procedure (PDF)
• Consent Form - SAQA degree verification (PDF)
• SAQA - Confirmation of Private Higher Education Qualifications

The verification letter that will be issued by SAQA can then be authenticated by DIRCO with an Apostille or legalized and attested at foreign embassies in Pretoria.

The SAQA verification letter is normally issued within 25 working days, but can take longer if the qualification is not available on the National Record’s Database (NLRD).

Isarey can assist clients outside South Africa who need to verify and apostille South African degrees. We can submit applications for verification directly to SAQA and collect verification letters once they have been issued. We then provide expedited Apostilles from DIRCO and attestation at all major embassies in Pretoria.
Please contact us before submitting an application to SAQA for degree verification if you would like us to collect the verification letter on your behalf.

The following qualifications must be verified by Umalusi in order to authenticate with an Apostille:Amended Senior Certificate (ASC), National Senior Certificate (NSC), National Technical Certificate N3, National Certificate Vocational (NCV), General Education and Training Certificate for Adults (GETC: ABET)

• Umalusi - Certificate Verification
• Umulasi - Certificate Replacement

The public cannot apply directly to Umalusi for the verification of certificates. To obtain verification from Umalusi, please contact us for assistance.

Umalusi has records from 1992. Certificates issued before November 1992 must be verified by the Department of Basic Education or the Department of Higher Education and Training.

An alternative method for authenticating South African Professional and Academic Qualifications is to make a true copy certified by a notary. This copy can be authenticated with an Apostille Stamp from the High Court.

This process takes 3 - 4 business days and can sometime be done with just a good quality scan of the diploma if it can be verified with the issuer.

However, in this case the Apostille will be applied to the coy and certifies the signature and good standing of the notary who made the copy and not the official body accrediting the qualification. Check with the authority or embassy that has requested the Apostille to confirm that they will accept an Apostille on a notarized copy.

Qualifications that are not accredited by SAQA, Umalusi, UNISA or other recognised body (including many TEFL certificates) will not qualify for a direct DIRCO apostille and will need to be notarized and authenticated at the High Court.

South African university degrees and qualifications required for submission to countries that are not members of the Apostille Convention will need to be attested by the embassy of the recipient country in Pretoria after being legalized by DIRCO with a Certificate of Authentication. This includes diplomas required for use in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Note that Saudi Arabia and China have both acceded to the Apostille Convention and will accept Apostilles from DIRCO directly without embassy attestation.

Isarey works with all major embassies in Pretoria, including Qatar and UAE. We will ensure that your documents meet the specific requirements of each embassy.