If you need a South African document Apostilled for use overseas, one of the most important questions is how long the process will take.
Certificate Assistance is registered with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) as an agent. Our current Apostille service lead time is approximately 7–14 days.
We submit documents to DIRCO every Wednesday and collect completed documents the following Wednesday.
For our Apostille service, we require the original document that needs to be Apostilled
How Long Does an Apostille Take in South Africa?
Certificate Assistance currently advises clients to allow approximately 7–14 days for our DIRCO Apostille service.
Our regular submission schedule works as follows:
• Documents are submitted to DIRCO every Wednesday.
• Completed documents are collected the following Wednesday.
• Documents received after a weekly submission may need to wait until the next Wednesday submission.
The exact turnaround therefore depends on when your original document reaches us.
Courier or international delivery time should be allowed for separately.
Why Can the Lead Time Be 7–14 Days?
Our Apostille service operates around our weekly DIRCO submission schedule.
If your original document reaches us in time for our Wednesday submission, it can be included in that week's submission.
If it arrives after the Wednesday submission has taken place, it may need to wait until the following Wednesday.
This is why we advise clients to allow approximately 7–14 days for our current Apostille service.
What Is a DIRCO Apostille?
An Apostille is a form of authentication used for qualifying public documents that need to be presented in another country.
In South Africa, DIRCO's Legalisation Section can issue Apostille Certificates for qualifying South African public documents when the destination country is a party to the Apostille Convention.
If the destination country is not covered by the Apostille Convention, a different authentication process may be required.
Before arranging an Apostille, you should confirm the requirements with the authority or organisation that will receive your document.
What Documents Can Be Apostilled?
Different South African documents may follow different legalisation procedures.
Examples of documents that may require legalisation for international use include certain:
• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Death certificates
• Police Clearance Certificates
• Letters of No Impediment
• Other qualifying South African public documents
The correct procedure depends on the type of document and the country where it will be used.
Some documents can be submitted through DIRCO, while other documents may require a different authentication route.
Contact Certificate Assistance before sending your document so that we can confirm whether we can assist with your particular document.
Do You Need the Original Document?
Yes.
For our DIRCO Apostille service, we require the original qualifying document that needs to be Apostilled.
Copies, photographs or scanned versions cannot replace the original document where the original is required for legalisation.
If you are living overseas, you can courier your original South African document to us.
Contact Certificate Assistance before sending any original documents so that we can provide the correct delivery instructions.
Can I Get a South African Apostille While Living Overseas?
Yes.
Certificate Assistance assists clients who are living outside South Africa and need qualifying South African documents Apostilled.
You can send the original document to us in South Africa, and we can manage our DIRCO submission and collection process on your behalf.
This is particularly useful for South Africans living overseas who need documents for immigration, residency, employment, citizenship or other official purposes.
Remember to allow additional time for international courier delivery.
How Does Our DIRCO Apostille Process Work?
Our process is straightforward.
1. Contact Certificate Assistance and tell us which document you need Apostilled and the country where it will be used.
2. We confirm the requirements applicable to our service.
3. Send us the original document that needs to be Apostilled.
4. We prepare it for the appropriate submission.
5. Our DIRCO submissions take place every Wednesday.
6. We collect completed documents the following Wednesday.
7. We arrange the agreed collection or delivery of your completed document.
Our current service lead time is approximately 7–14 days, depending on when your document reaches us.
Does Every Country Require an Apostille?
No.
Whether an Apostille is appropriate depends on where the document will be used.
Apostilles apply in the context of the Hague Apostille Convention. Documents intended for countries outside the applicable Apostille process may require authentication instead.
You should therefore confirm the requirements with the foreign authority, embassy, consulate, employer or other organisation requesting your document.
Certificate Assistance can assist with the South African document legalisation process once the required type of legalisation has been established.
Does Every South African Document Go Through DIRCO?
No.
The correct legalisation route depends on the document.
Certain original South African public documents can be submitted to DIRCO when they meet the applicable requirements, while some documents may require verification, notarisation or High Court authentication/Apostille through a different process.
For this reason, it is important not to assume that every document follows exactly the same Apostille procedure.
Contact us with details of the document and destination country before sending the original.
Apostille for a South African Police Clearance Certificate
A South African Police Clearance Certificate is one of the documents that may require an Apostille when being used overseas.
DIRCO's current guidance states that original Police Clearance Certificates submitted for legalisation must not be older than six months.
If you need assistance obtaining your Police Clearance Certificate first, Certificate Assistance can also assist with the South African Police Clearance process.
Our current Police Clearance service lead time is approximately 8–10 business days. We require copies of your identification documents and your original fingerprints.
Once you have the original Police Clearance Certificate, we can assist separately with the Apostille process where required.
Need a South African Document Apostilled?
Certificate Assistance is registered with DIRCO as an agent and assists clients in South Africa and abroad with document Apostille services.
Our current Apostille service lead time is approximately 7–14 days.
We submit documents every Wednesday and collect completed documents the following Wednesday.
For our service, we require the original document that needs to be Apostilled.
Contact Certificate Assistance before sending your document so we can confirm the requirements and provide delivery instructions.
