DIRCO states that its Legalisation Services are free of charge. The DIRCO government fee is therefore R0. Certificate Assistance charges R700 per document for its separate private assistance and handling service.
DIRCO’s own Apostille and Authentication Legalisation Service costs R0. Certificate Assistance charges a separate R700-per-document private assistance fee. Courier, notarisation, verification, translation or other preparation costs may also apply.
Quick answer: DIRCO's own Apostille and Authentication legalisation service costs R0. DIRCO states that its Legalisation Services are offered free of charge. Certificate Assistance charges a separate R700 per document private assistance fee for handling the applicable submission, collection and support process.
Certificate Assistance is a private independent document-assistance service and is not DIRCO or any South African government department.
The DIRCO government fee for its Legalisation Service is R0. DIRCO currently states that its Legalisation Services are offered free of charge.
This applies to qualifying South African public documents legalised by means of an Apostille Certificate or a Certificate of Authentication.
Private service providers, couriers, notaries, translators or other third parties may still charge their own fees. Those charges are separate from DIRCO.
The two amounts should not be confused:
Our R700 fee is for private document assistance and handling. It is not a government Apostille fee.
Our private assistance service includes support with the applicable document route, local handling, DIRCO submission and collection arrangements for qualifying documents.
Where required, separate costs can still apply for courier delivery, notarisation, verification, translation, obtaining the underlying certificate or further embassy/consular legalisation.
Even though DIRCO itself does not charge for legalisation, the complete document process may still cost money. Possible additional costs include:
No. The destination country determines whether an Apostille Certificate, Certificate of Authentication or another process is required.
DIRCO asks applicants to identify the country where the document will be used so the correct legalisation route can be followed. Read our Apostille vs Authentication guide.
DIRCO can legalise qualifying original South African public documents with the correct authorised signatures and stamps. These can include certain:
Read our guide to which South African documents can be apostilled by DIRCO.
Yes. Individuals can use DIRCO's own Legalisation Service without paying a DIRCO legalisation fee.
For an in-person individual submission, the current DIRCO procedure uses its online booking system. From 1 September 2026, the current Legalisation notice says public walk-in submissions were discontinued and booking capacity increased to 80 slots per day, excluding Wednesdays.
See our DIRCO online appointment and Pretoria booking guide.
Yes. DIRCO accepts courier submissions. Its current guidance says courier submissions should allow approximately three to four weeks for processing, while registered service providers should allow approximately one to two weeks.
For all current routes and timelines, read our complete DIRCO Apostille process guide and processing-time guide.
Certificate Assistance currently estimates approximately 7–14 days for its private DIRCO Apostille / Authentication assistance service, depending on the document and DIRCO processing.
This estimate is separate from courier time and is not a guaranteed DIRCO turnaround time.
Example 1: You submit directly to DIRCO.
DIRCO legalisation fee: R0. You may still pay your own travel, parking, courier or document-preparation costs.
Example 2: You use Certificate Assistance.
Private assistance fee: R700 per document. Courier or additional document-preparation services may be extra.
Example 3: Your document needs preparation before DIRCO.
You may need to pay separately for the underlying certificate, verification, notarisation, translation or another prerequisite before legalisation.
DIRCO provides the government legalisation itself at no charge. A private provider charges for the work it performs around that process, such as checking the document route, handling the submission, collecting the completed document and arranging onward delivery.
DIRCO also warns the public to distinguish its free Legalisation Service from amounts charged by third parties.
Certificate Assistance charges R700 per document for its private DIRCO Apostille / Authentication assistance service, with an estimated service lead time of approximately 7–14 days.
Before sending an original document, tell us what document you have and the country where it will be used so the correct route can be checked.
For the broader service, visit our Apostille & Authentication service page.
DIRCO procedures can change. Check the current DIRCO Legalisation Services page before submitting.
DIRCO currently states that its Legalisation Services are offered free of charge. The DIRCO government fee for qualifying Apostille or Authentication legalisation is therefore R0.
Certificate Assistance currently charges R700 per document for its private assistance and handling service. This is separate from DIRCO’s government Legalisation Service, which DIRCO states is free.
Possible separate costs include courier delivery, obtaining the underlying document, notarisation, verification, certified translation or further embassy and consular legalisation where required.
Our guides are prepared to help South Africans understand document requirements, processing, Apostille and Authentication steps, and overseas use. Where possible, we check current requirements against official authorities and clearly distinguish our private service estimates from government processing.
Learn more about Certificate Assistance and our editorial approachCertificate Assistance helps individuals and businesses obtain essential South African certificates and documents with a simpler, more convenient process. We provide professional assistance with Police Clearance Certificates and other certificate-related services, helping clients navigate applications efficiently and with confidence.
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