Please note that South African Embassies and Consulates abroad are NOT permitted to issue and affix Apostille Certificates to (South African issued) official (public) documentation.
If the customers wish their (South African issued) birth or marriage certificates to be legalised, then it will be required that they submit the original unabridged birth or marriage certificates directly to the Directorate of Consular Services at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). Please use the following Template of a Cover Letter:
If the customers wish their (South African issued) birth or marriage certificates to be legalised, then it will be required that they submit the original unabridged birth or marriage certificates directly to the Directorate of Consular Services at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). Please use the following Template of a Cover Letter:
To submit documentation to the DIRCO – Legalisation Section:
To submit documentation to the DIRCO – Legalisation Section:
Please refer to the attached information sheet for further details:
Please refer to the attached information sheet for further details:
If the customers wish their police clearance certificate to be legalised, then it will be required that they submit the original (valid) police clearance certificate directly to the same office. (Refer to the attached information sheet for further details.)
If the customers wish their police clearance certificate to be legalised, then it will be required that they submit the original (valid) police clearance certificate directly to the same office. (Refer to the attached information sheet for further details.)
Note 1: Refer specifically to option 2, as the customer has the alternative to submit to the office via a courier service, if they are already based abroad.
Note 2: There is a difference to legalise an official (public) document, and that of acting in the capacity as Commissioner of Oaths, and assisting to ‘certify’ documents. Certification basically means that it is the procedure, by which the copy of an original document is “certified” as being “a true copy of the original document”. In this instance, these documents may not be used abroad, but only for use in the Republic of South Africa. Therefore, if a customer indicates that the said (South African issued) public documentation is for use abroad, that they should correctly be advised to follow the correct legalisation procedures.
If you require any further information, please use the following contact details:
Michelle Aspeling
(Supervisor: Legalisation Section)
Assistant DirectorDirectorate: Consular Policy and Legalisation
Chief Directorate: Consular Services
Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO)
Private Bag X152PRETORIA, 0001
Tel: +27 12 351-1232
Fax: +27 12 329-1018 (Legalisation Section)
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Website: www.dirco.gov.za ***Under Consular Information ***Consular Notarial Services
Note: With effect from 11 October 2018, there will be no same-day service available.
Refer to the abovementioned webpage for further details and the Legalisation Section’s revised processing times.
The Legalisation Section will be closed from 3 to 5 December 2018.
Festive period closure: Total office closure from 24 – 31 December 2018.
