| Our current processing time for obtaining an apostille is approximately: | 6 to 8 weeks, excluding weekends, Wednesdays, and public holidays. |
| For expedited (Express) service, the turnaround time is reduced to: | 3 to 5 business days, excluding weekends, Wednesdays, and public holidays. |
For apostille or authentication services, as well as for the attestation of documents legalized by DIRCO, please direct your inquiries to [email protected]. If you are uncertain about the document requirements, kindly submit a copy of the document along with details regarding its intended use.
Important Notes:
- South African Police Clearance Certificate: The validity of Police Clearance Certificates is six months from the issuance date. However, for applications related to Portugal, this validity period is reduced to three months.
- South Korean immigration: it is important to note that expedited Police Clearances are not accepted, even if they have been validated by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO).
- Netherlands immigration requirements, all letters issued by home affairs and any unabridged certificates must have recent dates to be considered valid for application purposes.
- DIRCO does not provide specific instructions on the documentation needed for foreign countries to recognize documents for use abroad. This includes applications for:
- Visas
- Birth registrations
- Marriage registrations
- Foreign citizenship through embassies or civil registries
- Other related submissions
- Attention on Old Documentation:
Please be advised that while the original document remains valid, it may lack the signature of the official who initially issued it, which can often be found in the DIRCO – Legalisation Section signature database. This absence occurs when the issuing official is no longer employed within the respective government department, rendering the document ineligible for legalization by the Legalisation Section at this stage.
It is, therefore, recommended that any documents submitted should ideally be no older than one year. For those in possession of Home Affairs-issued certificates exceeding this timeframe, please reach out via email to [email protected] for assistance in securing reprints.
At HCSTI, our team has experience working in diplomatic missions in South Africa. We understand the different documentation requirements for various countries. We offer advisory services to South African clients about the necessary paperwork for use in foreign jurisdictions, including legalization (apostille) procedures.
We can help obtain the Apostille Certificate or Certificate of Authentication for you, based on these conditions:
- You must let us know the destination country for your document so we can determine if you need an Apostille Certificate or Certificate of Authentication.
- Your document must be current and not expired.
- If your document is not from South Africa, it must be legalized in its country of origin. If you need documents for non-English-speaking countries, DIRCO will authenticate them with a sworn translation, following set protocols. For more details on apostille and authentication of sworn translations, please contact [email protected].
The original documents listed below can be apostilled or authenticated by DIRCO without requiring notarization or translation prior to submission:
- Apostille of Unabridged Birth Certificates issued by the Department of Home Affairs
- Apostille of Unabridged Marriage Certificates from the Department of Home Affairs
- Apostille of Unabridged Death Certificates provided by the Department of Home Affairs
- Apostille of Letters of No Impediment from the Department of Home Affairs, confirming marital status
- Apostille of Citizenship Status Letters from the Department of Home Affairs, encompassing determination, retention, and renunciation of citizenship
- Apostille of Police Clearance Certificates
- Apostille of Driver’s License Confirmation Letters from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC)
- Apostille of Medical Letters verified by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA)
- Apostille of Original Adoption Papers sanctioned by the Department of Justice or the Registrar of Adoptions
- Apostille of Degrees authenticated by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
If your document is not listed above, please contact [email protected] or reach out via WhatsApp at +27 61 545 3634 for additional information.