Apostille in South Africa for use abroad
Documents issued in South Africa – certificates, diplomas, court and notarial documents, company papers – are apostilled by South Africa’s designated authority and then accepted in 130 Convention countries. We organise the apostille, the translation and the delivery wherever you are.
Let us get this done for you
- Apostille from 8 hours
- Written quote before you pay
- Encrypted, no account needed
Designated competent authority (Art. 6)
- Any magistrate or additional magistrate
- Any registrar or assistant registrar of the Supreme Court of South Africa
- Any person designated by the Director-General: Justice
- Director-General: International Relations and Cooperation
HCCH record updated 23 April 2026
- 1Upload a scanWe pre-check it and confirm the route
- 2Verify with your phoneID + selfie, ~3 minutes, then your quote
- 3We obtain the apostilleCompetent authority + sworn translation
- 4DeliveredCourier worldwide or protected download
An apostille can only be issued in the country where the document was issued. For a document from South Africa that means South Africa’s designated authority; no other country can apostille it. We coordinate the submission in South Africa, the notary reviews your application first, and the document is returned with the apostille – by courier or, where South Africa issues electronic apostilles, as a verified PDF.
Authority fee: No fees are charged for the processing of documents. (official fee, passed through 1:1 in your quote)
- www.dirco.gov.za
- www.dirco.gov.za
- www.justice.gov.za
Where an apostille from South Africa is not enough
No Contracting State has an objection in force against South Africa: the apostille is accepted in every other Convention country. Non-Convention countries (UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Iraq …) still require consular legalisation.
- South Africa → United StatesApostille
- South Africa → United KingdomApostille
- South Africa → GermanyApostille
- South Africa → FranceApostille
- South Africa → SpainApostille
- South Africa → ItalyApostille
- South Africa → NetherlandsApostille
- South Africa → TürkiyeApostille
- South Africa → United Arab EmiratesLegalisation required
- South Africa → CanadaApostille
- South Africa → AustraliaApostille
- South Africa → SwitzerlandApostille
Documents we apostille from South Africa
Where will your South Africa document be used?
Pick the destination and the document type to see the exact route and start with the details pre-filled.
Apostille in South Africa: questions
Under Article 6 of the Convention South Africa has designated: Any magistrate or additional magistrate; Any registrar or assistant registrar of the Supreme Court of South Africa; Any person designated by the Director-General: Justice; Director-General: International Relations and Cooperation. The notary reviews your application and we route the document to the right office.
In every other Contracting State – no objection is in force against South Africa. Non-Convention countries (for example the UAE, Qatar, Egypt) still need consular legalisation.
The authority’s fee listed with the HCCH: No fees are charged for the processing of documents.. Official fees are passed through 1:1 and shown separately from Notaryzer’s service fee in your written quote; nothing is charged before you accept.
The apostille itself is standardised and accepted without translation. The document is in English; most recipients abroad want a sworn or certified translation into their language, which we add in the same order.
The Convention has been in force for South Africa since April 30, 1995.
Apostille for documents from South Africa
Competent authority, translation and worldwide delivery in one request, quoted before you pay.
Questions? Write to [email protected]