Apostille Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates in South Africa for use in the United States and abroad
DIRCO Apostilles are available in 5 - 10 working days
High Court Apostilles are available in 3 - 4 business days
There are two methods of obtaining an Apostille in South Africa on a birth, death or marriage certificate.
1. Apostille from DIRCO
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) will apply Apostille stamps to original unabridged birth and marriage certificates issued by the South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA).
Apostilles from DIRCO take 5 - 10 working days (urgent service) or 4 - 8 weeks (non-urgent).
Abridged certificates cannot be apostilled by DIRCO.
DIRCO will only issue an Apostille if the signature of the official who signed the certificate can be found in its database. Older certificates may not result in a match, in which case DIRCO will not issue an Apostille.
2. Apostille from High Court
An Apostille from the High Court is quicker and is applied to a notarized true copy of the South African certificate. This can often be done from a good quality scan and a short video of the document. High court Apostilles can also be applied to certificates that DIRCO will not accept, including older certificates and vault copies. High Court Apostilles can be completed in 3 - 4 business days
However, a High Court Apostille authenticates the signature of the South African notary and not the signature of the official who originally issued the certificate, so it may not be accepted by all countries and for all purposes.
How to obtain South African Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates
Isarey can obtain unabridged and vault certificates for clients requiring apostilles, directly from the DHA in South Africa. We offer standard and priority services to obtain unabridged certificates (10 - 20 business days) and we can normally obtain vault certificates in around 8 weeks (provided that the DHA has no difficulties in locating the original record in its vaults).
By making the application directly to the DHA in Pretoria, we can save weeks of waiting, ensure application forms are completed and submitted correctly, and we can usually fast-track corrections in case there are any errors in the issued certificates. Applications made from abroad through South African embassies can take 6 - 12 months or more to complete, then if certificates are issued with errors or spelling mistakes (not uncommon, since new certificates are typed out individually), a new application is required.
We only need scans of the application form and ID to make the application, so no physical documents need to be sent to South Africa.
Please contact us for further information and application forms.
Abridged Certificates
Abridged birth certificates are available in South Africa from the DHA, but contain limited information. These certificates are not generally valid for submission abroad and cannot be authenticated by an apostille from DIRCO.
Unabridged Certificates
Unabridged Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates are issued in South Africa by the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). These certificates provide full information about the birth, marriage or death and are generally (but not always) accepted by overseas authorities in support of visa and residency applications and other procedures. Unabridged Certificates can be apostilled by DIRCO or the High-Court (notarized copy).
Unabridged certificates can be obtained directly from the Department of Home Affairs or through a South African Embassy or High Commission (although processing times can be 6 - 12 months or more).
Vault Certificates
Vault birth, death and marriage certificates are provided by the South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA). The vault certificate is the original registration made of the birth, marriage or death, filed as a paper copy in the vaults of the DHA. When a vault certificate is requested, the DHA will retrieve the original record from its vaults and make a certified copy.
Because vault copies are considered more secure than DHA unabridged certificates, which are taken from computer records, they are required in certain cases when applying for visas, residency and nationality.
Certified translations of South African death, marriage and birth certificates
When presenting South African marriage, death and birth certificates in countries which do not have English as an official language, then a certified translation may be required. The certified translation must meet the requirements of the destination country, so that a translation done locally in South Africa may require additional certification through an apostille stamp. Alternatively, translations can be done and certified in the recipient country.
Isarey works with local notaries and sworn translators in a wide range of destination countries. We'll take care of the entire legalization and translation process, so that your certificates are correctly translated and ready to submit:
- GERMANY: translations into German must be certified by an officially authorized and appointed sworn translator.
- SPAIN: translator must be authorised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in Spanish) ("Traducción Jurada")
- FRANCE: translations into French must be certified by a translator accredited by a French court of appeal (Cour d'appel)
- ITALY: translations must be authenticated by a Court Clerk or by a Notary Public in Italy
- PORTUGAL: translations into Portuguese can be certified in Portugal by a local notary
For further information about our South African apostille service and about legalizing birth, death and marriage certificates issued in South Africa for use in the United States and abroad, use our online quotation form or send us an email us. We will get back to you directly with a quotation and details of how to proceed:
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