7-Day DIRCO Apostille in South Africa
Your documents legalised at DIRCO in Pretoria, without the six-month wait.
DIRCO's standard queue can run for months. If you have a visa appointment, a job start date or a wedding abroad, you cannot wait that long. GetCleared hand-delivers your documents to DIRCO, chases them daily and gets your apostille back to you in 7 working days, wherever you are in the world.
What is an apostille?
An apostille is an official certificate, attached to your document by the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), that confirms the signature, stamp or seal on that document is genuine. It lets the document be accepted in any other country that is a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, without the need for further legalisation by that country's embassy.
If the country you are sending your documents to is not a Hague member, DIRCO issues a Certificate of Authentication instead, and the document usually needs an additional step at that country's embassy. See our Embassy Attestation page for that route.
Which documents can we apostille?
DIRCO can apostille public documents issued by South African authorities, and certain private documents once they have been notarised or verified. Common examples:
Home Affairs documents
-
Unabridged birth certificates
-
Unabridged marriage certificates
-
Letters of No Impediment
-
Death certificates
-
Divorce decrees (usually from the High Court)
Police and legal documents
-
SAPS Police Clearance Certificates (we can assist with the Police Clearance itself)
-
Affidavits and powers of attorney (after notarisation)
-
Court orders
Education and professional documents
-
Degrees, diplomas and matric certificates (after the required verification or notarisation step)
-
Teaching certificates for TEFL and teaching abroad
-
Medical and health certificates
Business documents
-
Company registration documents and commercial agreements
Not sure which route your document needs?
Send us a photo on WhatsApp and we will tell you before you spend anything.
How our apostille service works
-
Tell us what you have and where it is going. Message us on WhatsApp or email. We confirm whether you need an apostille, a Certificate of Authentication or extra steps, and send you a simple checklist.
-
Send us your documents. In South Africa, you can send us documents from your nearest PostNet. From overseas, courier originals to our Pretoria team
-
We submit and follow up. We hand-submit at DIRCO (or the High Court where it applies) and follow up every working day.
-
Delivery. You get a scan by email straight away. The original is couriered to you by DHL Express with tracking.
Apostille timelines and pricing
Service Turnaround : 7 working days
Price: R3,000
Note: The 7 working days start once we have received your complete, valid original documents. Courier time is extra. Documents that need prior verification, notarisation or High Court authentication take longer, and we will give you a timeline before you pay.