A Guide to Legalizing Documents in South Africa using DIRCO Apostille

A Guide to Legalizing Documents in South Africa using DIRCO Apostille

 South Africa is a signatory to the 1961 Hague Convention, which requires any documents authenticated for use overseas to be apostilled. This guide defines an Apostille and explains how to obtain one for your South African documents.

What Exactly Is An Apostille?

 

 An apostille is an internationally recognized form of authentication provided by a country’s appropriate authorities (in this case, South Africa). It certifies that a document was correctly executed in accordance with the laws of the source nation. Documents bearing an apostille are accepted without further authentication in any other country that is also a signatory to the Hague Convention.

 In South Africa, who can apply for an Apostille?

 Anyone can apply for an Apostille in South Africa; you do not need to be a South African citizen or legal resident. Nonetheless, the document must be signed in by Commissioner of Oaths or a Notary Public (both of whom are public employees under South African jurisdiction).

 How Do You Get An Apostille For A Document? 

1. Confirm Your Document Is Legally Valid: The document should meet all standards listed in your destination country’s legislation and should have been signed off by either a Commissioner of Oaths or a Notary Public in accordance with South African law.
2. Send Your Paper to DIRCO (Department of International Relations And Cooperation): You can submit your application online through their website, but certain documents may need to be submitted in person at DIRCO locations across the country – check with them for additional information.
3. Pay All Necessary Fees: You must pay all required fees for processing and issuing your apostilles, as well as any additional services you may choose, such as certificate collecting and delivery fees if you do not pick it up personally from DIRCO offices.
4. Collect Your Certificate: Once your application has been completed and accepted, all certificates will be available for pickup or delivery, depending on the option you selected when submitting your application.

 How can I get an Apostille for a document?

 Getting an Apostille for a document is a simple process that involves the following steps:

1. Confirm Your Document Is Legally Valid: The document should meet all standards listed in your destination country’s legislation and should have been signed off by either a Commissioner of Oaths or a Notary Public in accordance with South African law.
2. Send Your Paper to DIRCO (Department of International Relations And Cooperation): You can submit your application online through their website, but certain documents may need to be submitted in person at DIRCO locations across the country – check with them for additional information.
3. Pay All Necessary Fees: You must pay all required fees for processing and issuing your apostilles, as well as any additional services you may choose, such as certificate collecting and delivery fees if you do not pick it up personally from DIRCO offices.
4. Pay All Necessary Fees: You must pay all required fees for processing and issuing your apostilles, as well as any additional services you may choose, such as certificate collecting and delivery fees if you do not pick it up personally from DIRCO offices.
5. Collect Your Certificate: Once your application has been completed and accepted, all certificates will be available for pickup or delivery, depending on the option you selected when submitting your application.

Please suggest any other services that may be accessible to Apostille service users.

Aside from apostilles, some service providers provide other services such as: • Document collecting and delivery services to make it easier for you to submit and receive your documents.

• Assisting with the completion of papers and other documents associated with the apostille procedure.
• Advice on document translation if necessary for acceptance overseas.
• Consultation or assistance at relevant consulate offices throughout document authentication processes.

Document translation advice for submission abroad

 If you need to translate papers for submission abroad, be sure the translation meets the language requirements of the destination country. To ensure accuracy, you may need to contact a translator who is fluent in this language or jurisdiction. Furthermore, some jurisdictions may need translations to be performed by a court-certified translator or an authorized public notary, thus it is critical to check with the destination country’s regulations as well.

If necessary, formal papers such as birth certificates and marriage certificates may also need to be translated.

List of countries that needed translations of documents

 The countries that require official documents to be translated before they may be accepted by authorities abroad differ depending on the document type, jurisdiction, and destination country. Some of the more popular countries that may require translation for specific types of documents include:

• Portugal
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• Mexico
• Russia
• Spain
• Mexico
• Angola

 Countries participating in the Hague Convention in 2023

The following nations will be Hague Convention members in 2023:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Belize
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Dominica

2023 list of non-Hague Convention countries  

The following nations will not be Hague Convention members in 2023:

• Afghanistan (38,041,754)
• Albania has 2,877,797 people;
• Algeria has 43,851,044 people;
• Andorra has 77,265 people.
• Angola has 32,274,784 people.
• Antigua and Barbuda 97,929
• Argentina 45,195,774
• Armenia (2,962,424 people)
• Australia has 25,701,032 people; Austria has 8,878,666 people.
• Bahamas (393,244)
• Bahrain has a population of 1,714,591 people.
• Bangladesh has 166 million people,
• Barbados has 286,425 people.
• Belarus – 9.45 million • Belgium 11.49 million • Belize 390 thousand • Benin 11.85 million • Bhutan 0.761 million • Bolivia 11.42 million • Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.283 million • Botswana 2002 census: 2.024 million • Brazil 209.5 million • Brunei Darussalam 2004 census: 2.024 million • Bulgaria 7.735 million • Burkina Faso 16.4 million • Burundi 8.375 million • Cambodia 14.494 million • Cameroon 22 million • Central African Republic 4.616 million • Chad 13 million • Chile 17 million • China 1 billion • Congo 19 million • Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) 23 million 4million Cyprus 1,000,000 The Czech Republic Denmark 5 million 10.54 million Egypt 0.924 million Djibouti Equatorial Guinea 90 million Eritrea 0.602 million 6,000,000 Ethiopians 104 billion dollars 902 Thousand Fiji Gambia 1 million Gabon The 2 m Ghana Guinea 13 Guinea Bissau 28 m 1 million Haiti 11 million India 1280 m Iran 256 m Indonesia Iraqi Islamic Republic Kuwait 40 million 4 million Laos 6 million Liberia 4m Lesotho 2m Arab of Libya 6 M Jamahiriya Malawi 18m Madagascar 23m Malaysia 31 million 415 kilometers to the Maldives Mali 14m 3m Mauritania 1,2 M Mauritius Mexico 126 meters Moldova 3,5 million Mongolia 3 million Mozambique 24 million Myanmar (56 million) Namibia 2.4 million Nepal 29.4 million Nicaragua 6 million Niger 15.6 million Nigeria 202.0 million Norway 5.3 mL Pakistan 205.53 ml Oman 4.68 ml Panama Papua New Guinea 4.07 mL 7 .3ml .8ml Paraguay 31 mL of Peru 104..9ml Philippines 38..5ml Poland 10..6 ml Portugal Qatar 2.01 mL 22.22 mL Russia has 143..5 milk. Rwanda has 12…6 milk. The islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis 52 thousand Saint Lucians and 172 thousand Saint Vincentians 219 Thousand Saudi Arabia 108 Thousand Samoa 198 Thousand Sao Tome and Principe Senegal’s population is 33 million people. Sierra Leone has a population of 15 million people. 6 million Singaporeans, 5 million Slovakians, 5 million Slovenians, and 2 million Solomon Islanders 600,000 Somalians South Africa 13 million South Korea 58 million South Sudan 51 million 13 million Spain 46 million Sri Lanka Sudan (21 million), Swaziland (42 million), Sweden (10 million), and Syria (8 million). 22 mill Taiwan 23 million Tanzania 56 million Thailand 67 million Timor Leste 1 million Togo 7 million Tonga 115 million Trinidad & Tobago 1 million Tunisia 11 million Turkey 82 million Uganda 35 million Ukraine 45 mil Emirates of the United Arab Emirates 9 million people in the United Kingdom 66 mil 331 million people in the United States of America Uruguay 3 million Uzbekistan (32 million) Vanuatu has a population of 277 thousand people. Venezuela 32,000,000 Vietnam has 95 million people. Yemen (24 million) Zimbabwe 14 million Zambia 17 million

Closing Thoughts

Obtaining an Apostille with DIRCO in South Africa is a reasonably simple process, but it is critical to understand the duration, cost, and requirements involved.

We’re here to help if you’re having problems navigating the process of obtaining a duplicate of a Matric certificate, or if you want to shorten the procedure and save time. Our skilled team is well-versed in the requirements and processes involved.

So, why delay? Call us immediately and let us assist you in getting started.

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