Why this situation happens

People often ask for "an apostille" as if every document follows the same route. In practice, the route depends on the document type, who issued it, which country will receive it, and whether the destination country accepts an apostille or needs another authentication chain.

Legal explanation

South African Government guidance explains legalising official documents for use outside South Africa. DIRCO also publishes legalisation service information and booking details. Official public documents, private documents and notarised documents can follow different preparation steps before final legalisation.

A notary public can help prepare or certify some documents in a form suitable for the next authentication step.

What to do next

Ask the receiving institution for written requirements. Then identify whether the document is official, private, original, copied, translated or signed for a future transaction. Take that instruction to a notary before starting the wrong queue.

Costs and timeframes

Costs depend on whether the work is a simple notarised copy, a notarial certificate, a power of attorney, translation review, or a longer legalisation route. Timeframes depend on appointment availability and whether the document must pass through another department.

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