How does it work?

Attesting a document issued in South Africa can be complicated, especially as the requirements can change depending on who you need to present it to, and exactly what type of document it is. It’s harder still if you are no longer in the country. Fortunately, most documents follow a similar pattern which we’ve broken down for you. There are however some situations where things are a little different, so if you want to make sure that you are fully informed, speak to one of our advisers and we’ll look at your individual circumstances free of charge.

 

Pre-Legalisation

Official Verification

In some cases, your first step is to get your document verified by one official body or another. In the case of a degree or higher-education diploma qualification it will need to be verified by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) using their VeriSearch system.

 

Notarisation

Certification by a South African Notary Public

For those documents that don’t go through official verification, including birth, marriage, death certificates, high school, secondary and matric certificates and transcripts, these will need to be notarised by a South African Notary Public. The notary will take a copy of the original document and certify that it is a true copy. They will then attach a notarial cover sheet to the document with a seal before signing and stamping it.

 

Pre-Authentication

Authentication by High Court

For any document that has been notarised, these bundled documents must be presented to a registrar of the High Court for the notary’s signature to be authenticated. Once authenticated, the registrar will sign and seal the document.

 

DIRCO Legalisation in South Africa

South African Government Authentication

Once a document has been properly authenticated or verified, it is then presented to the Department of International Relations & Co-operation (DIRCO). Their office will check that the seal and signature of the relevant department matches their official record and authenticates it accordingly. Once authenticated, DIRCO will issue a Certificate of Authentication and this page will be bound by a green ribbon to the notarial page and copy of the document.

 

UAE Embassy in Pretoria

UAE Embassy Attestation

The final step in South Africa is for the document to be attested by the UAE Embassy in Pretoria. An official UAE-government sticker and seal is attached alongside the authentication by DIRCO during this stage. This authentication sticker confirms to the UAE authorities that the document has gone through all the necessary steps in South Africa.

 

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UAE)

MoFA Attestation (UAE)

In the UAE, another attestation stamp is needed which is handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in any of the UAE emirates. The addition of this stamp confirms that the processes in South Africa have been completed correctly. Some employers will do this for you, so we would advise that you check with them to avoid paying for anything unnecessarily. For anyone handling this themselves, you will now need a PCR test to enter a government building. We can arrange this for you. This is the final step needed to use your document in the UAE if it does not need translation (see the following section below).

 

Translation

Translation from English into Arabic

Often, your document may also need to be translated into Arabic. Again, your employer may handle this for you so we would recommend checking with them. If it is needed, the whole document and all of its stamps are translated from English into Arabic. This must be done by a recognised certified translator. Once translated, then everything has been done to allow you to use it within the UAE.

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Attestation Notes

• The UAE Embassy in South Africa will not attest any document that has already been attested for use in another country.
• Degrees and their transcripts are treated as separate document and cannot be bundled together. They must be processed and attested individually.
• When attesting a birth, marriage or death certificate, only an original, unabridged version can be processed.
• Arabic translation is usually required for use in all emirates other than Dubai, and also if the document is to be used within one of the Dubai Free Zone authorities including (but not limited to) the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC).
• If we are arranging to have a new birth, marriage or death certificate issued for you, we will require you to complete a Power of Attorney (PoA) and application form authorising us to do so.