Notarising Birth Certificates

Authenticating a birth certificate involves the notary process with additional legal requirements beyond those utilised for other types of documents.

If you require a notarised birth certificate contact us at notary cape town a division of Le Roux Attorneys.

How to notarise a birth certificate in South Africa?

Birth certificates, marriage and/or death certificates, letters of no impediment and other documents signed and stamped by an authorised Department of Home Affairs official are verified by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). After verification, DIRCO will issue an apostille certificate (where countries are party to The Hague Convention) or a certificate of authentication (where countries are not party to The Hague Convention).

When do you need to notarise a South African birth certificate?

A birth certificate is a South African public document and therefore it must be verified before it can be used abroad.

The process to be followed when notarising a South African birth certificate:

The birth certificate must be signed and stamped by an authorised Department of Home Affairs official;

The original birth certificate must be available to submit to DIRCO;

The birth certificate must not be too old as the official who originally issued and signed the document might not be employed at the specific Department anymore, which will make it impossible for DIRCO to legalise the “old” document at such a late stage.

How to notarise translations?

Documents translated by a Sworn Translator must be verified by the Registrar of the High Court. The Registrar of the High Court will during this process issue an apostille certificate (where countries are party to The Hague Convention) or a certificate of authentication (where countries are not party to The Hague Convention).