Last updated: 26 August 2026
These Terms & Conditions govern the use of the Certificate Assistance website and the document assistance, facilitation, authentication, legalisation, courier and related services provided by Certificate Assistance.
By requesting a quotation, submitting documents, making payment or instructing Certificate Assistance to proceed with a service, you acknowledge that you have read and accepted these Terms & Conditions.
Certificate Assistance is a private document assistance service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or part of the South African Department of Home Affairs, the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), any court, embassy, consulate or other government authority.
Certificate Assistance provides assistance with services including, where applicable:
The exact service provided will depend on the client's instructions and the requirements of the relevant authority.
Certificate Assistance assists clients with document preparation, application support, submissions, collection, authentication, legalisation and related administrative processes.
We do not issue government documents and cannot control decisions made by government departments, courts, embassies, consulates or other third-party authorities.
Approval, processing and issuance of any official document remain entirely within the authority of the relevant institution.
Clients are responsible for:
Certificate Assistance is not responsible for delays or unsuccessful applications caused by incomplete, inaccurate, misleading or incorrect information supplied by a client.
Any processing time stated on our website, quotation, invoice, email, WhatsApp message or other communication is an estimate only.
Processing times may change due to factors outside our control, including:
Certificate Assistance cannot guarantee completion by a particular date unless expressly agreed in writing for a service that is entirely within our control.
Clients should not make irreversible travel, employment, immigration or legal arrangements based solely on an estimated completion date.
Certificate Assistance cannot guarantee:
Requirements may differ depending on the destination country, receiving authority and intended use of the document.
Clients should confirm final document requirements with the authority requesting the document where appropriate.
Fees will generally be communicated through a quotation, invoice or other written confirmation before a service is undertaken.
A quotation may include:
Work may only begin once the required payment, documentation and instructions have been received.
Additional charges may apply if the scope of work changes or if an authority requires additional documents, services, submissions or verification.
A client may request cancellation of a service by contacting Certificate Assistance.
Any refund will depend on the stage reached in the process.
Once work has begun, Certificate Assistance may deduct reasonable charges for work already completed and expenses already incurred.
Government fees, courier charges, professional fees and other third-party costs that have already been paid or incurred may be non-refundable.
If a submission has already been made to a government department or other authority, cancellation may no longer be possible.
Any applicable refund will be assessed based on the circumstances of the individual service.
Where Certificate Assistance arranges courier or delivery services, we take reasonable care when preparing documents for dispatch.
Courier services are provided by independent third-party companies.
Certificate Assistance is not responsible for delays, losses or damage caused solely by a courier or postal provider, although we will reasonably assist clients with tracking or resolving delivery issues where possible.
Clients are responsible for providing a complete and accurate delivery address and contact information.
Some services may require original documents.
Clients acknowledge that official documents may need to be submitted to government departments, courts, notaries, legalisation authorities or other relevant institutions.
Certificate Assistance takes reasonable care when handling original documents but cannot guarantee against events outside its reasonable control.
Certificate Assistance processes personal information in accordance with applicable South African privacy law, including the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
Our handling of personal information is described further in our Privacy Policy and POPIA Compliance Notice.
Clients authorise Certificate Assistance to process and, where necessary, share relevant personal information and documents with government authorities, couriers, notaries, professional service providers and other parties reasonably required to provide the requested service.
Clients may communicate with Certificate Assistance through email, WhatsApp, website forms and other electronic channels.
Clients acknowledge that electronic communication carries inherent security risks.
Certificate Assistance takes reasonable precautions but cannot guarantee that electronic communications will always be completely secure, uninterrupted or error-free.
We aim to keep information on our website accurate and current.
However, government procedures, legal requirements, processing times, fees and authority requirements may change without notice.
Website information is therefore provided for general guidance and should not be regarded as a guarantee that a particular process, requirement or turnaround time will remain unchanged.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, Certificate Assistance provides document assistance and administrative facilitation services.
Information on our website or provided during a service should not be regarded as legal, immigration, tax or professional advice.
Where specialist advice is required, clients should consult an appropriately qualified attorney, immigration practitioner, tax adviser or other professional.
To the extent permitted by South African law, Certificate Assistance will not be liable for indirect, consequential or special losses arising from:
Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded under South African law.
Certificate Assistance will not be responsible for delays or failure to perform caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including:
Unless otherwise stated, the content, text, branding, graphics and other materials on the Certificate Assistance website belong to Certificate Assistance or are used with permission.
Website content may not be copied, reproduced or commercially exploited without prior written permission, except where permitted by law.
Our website may contain links to government departments, authorities or other third-party websites.
These links are provided for convenience or reference.
Certificate Assistance does not control and is not responsible for the content, availability, privacy practices or security of third-party websites.
Certificate Assistance may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time to reflect changes in:
The latest version will be published on this website.
These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.
Any dispute will be dealt with in accordance with applicable South African law and the jurisdiction of the appropriate South African courts.
For questions about these Terms & Conditions or our services, contact:
Certificate Assistance
Email: info@certificateassistance.com
Website: www.certificateassistance.com