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Visas & ImmigrationDocuments for a South African Visa: Police Clearance, Apostilles and Sworn Translations
For most work and study visas, Home Affairs wants a police clearance certificate from each country where you lived for more than 12 months in the last five years, no older than six months on the day you submit. Foreign documents that need legalising are apostilled or authenticated in the country that issued them, South African ones through DIRCO. Order the six-month documents last.
Home Affairs sets the list, the issuing country or DIRCO legalises the paper, and the six-month clock on a police clearance only stops when you lodge. This guide sets out what Home Affairs lists for each visa, which office legalises which document and an order of work that keeps the short-lived items fresh.
What Home Affairs asks for, by visa type
These are the checklists on the Home Affairs visa page (checked 17 October 2026). The target column comes from its turnaround page, which counts working days only and applies to applications lodged inside South Africa for the Head Office, so it does not describe applications lodged at a mission abroad.
| Visa | Police clearance | Legalised or translated items | DHA target |
|---|---|---|---|
| General work | Each country lived in for over 12 months in the last five years | Qualifications evaluated by SAQA with a sworn translation; a foreign marriage needs proof of official recognition from the foreign authorities | 4 weeks |
| Critical skills | Same as general work | SAQA evaluation with a sworn translation; a marriage concluded abroad needs recognition apostilled by the issuing authority and a sworn translation; a life partnership needs an apostilled notarial agreement | 4 weeks |
| Intra-company transfer | Same as general work | Foreign marriage: proof of official recognition from the foreign authorities | Not listed |
| Study | Same as general work | Foreign marriage: same wording as above; medical cover with a registered South African scheme | 60 days |
| Retired person's | Each country lived in for 12 months or longer since you turned 18 | No apostille or translation wording on the list | 120 days |
| Relative's | Same as retired person's | A marriage certificate for a spouse, a full birth certificate for a child | 120 days |
Home Affairs says work visas are lodged through Visa Facilitation Services centres or the nearest South African mission abroad, and retired person's and relative's visas at a regional office or a mission. Your lodging centre can add its own checklist, so confirm it before you book.
One change to know about: on 17 July 2026 Home Affairs gazetted a blanket waiver of the medical report for visa and permanent residence applications, including pending ones (Ministerial Immigration Directive 10 of 2026, Gazette 55016). The visa page checklists still list the report, so ask your centre which version it is working to.
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Check which visa I need →Police clearance: one certificate per country
The test is where you lived, not which passport you hold. Most work and study lists ask for a certificate from each country where you lived for more than 12 months in the last five years before you submit. The retired person's and relative's lists go wider: every country where you spent 12 months or longer since you turned 18. A year in a third country eight years ago falls outside the first rule and inside the second, so read the line for your own visa. Each country sets its own process, forms and fees, so start with the police or justice authority there.
If you have lived in South Africa too
The South African certificate comes from the SAPS Criminal Record and Crime Scene Management unit in Pretoria. SAPS lists R190 per application (SAPS, checked 17 October 2026) and says finalisation takes about 15 working days from the date all documents arrive, not counting postal time. The page also warns of a backlog that has extended the wait. Fingerprints go on form SAPS 91(a): SAPS takes them if you live in South Africa, and abroad you can use any police station or a South African embassy. A certificate left uncollected for three months after finalisation is destroyed, and anyone flagged as wanted does not get one.
Apostille or legalisation: which one applies
Where the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 applies, DIRCO says an apostille is the only formality needed to authenticate a public document. South Africa acceded on 3 August 1994 and the Convention entered into force for it on 30 April 1995, and the Hague Conference lists 130 contracting parties, last updated 30 June 2026 (HCCH, checked 17 October 2026). For a country outside the Convention the route is a certificate of authentication instead.
| Document | Who legalises it |
|---|---|
| Foreign birth, marriage or other civil documents | The competent authority in the country that issued them. DIRCO says all foreign documentation must be legalised from the country of origin |
| South African birth, marriage and death certificates, letters of no impediment, police clearances | DIRCO Legalisation Section, originals only, in person or by courier |
| South African qualifications | Verification first (SAQA for degrees, Umalusi for national senior certificates, the Department of Basic Education for school records), then DIRCO. DIRCO does not authenticate the certificates themselves |
| Notarised copies, affidavits, powers of attorney, sworn translations | A notary or sworn translator, then the High Court Registrar. For Convention countries the High Court issues the apostille and DIRCO is not involved |
DIRCO's legalisation service is free. From 1 September 2026 it takes appointments only: 80 a day except Wednesdays, from 08:30, with no booking needed to collect. Five documents or fewer are processed the same day, five to ten in a day and eleven or more in two working days. DIRCO quotes one to two weeks through registered agents and three to four weeks by courier. It does not endorse any agent and warns against unregistered ones, especially for police clearances (DIRCO, checked 17 October 2026).
Sworn translations and certified copies
Home Affairs asks for translations into one of South Africa's official languages by a sworn translator. Its critical skills list gives the order for a marriage concluded abroad: apostille from the issuing authority first, then translation and certification by a sworn translator at your expense. Follow that sequence. If the apostille itself carries text that is not in an official language, ask your lodging centre whether it wants that translated too.
DIRCO will not legalise certified copies of birth, marriage or death certificates, police clearances or qualifications, and it rejects abridged computer printouts that carry no stamp or signature, and laminated documents. Its marriage route needs the unabridged certificate from Home Affairs.
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How long each document stays valid
| Item | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Police clearance for a Home Affairs application | Not older than six months when submitted | Home Affairs |
| South African police clearance sent for legalisation | Original, no older than six months | DIRCO |
| Letter of no impediment | Valid six months, issued at Head Office in Pretoria only | DIRCO |
| Other South African civil documents | Advised to be no older than three years, as the issuing official's signature may no longer be on file | DIRCO |
| Finished SAPS certificate left uncollected | Destroyed after three months | SAPS |
| Medical report, where still requested | Not older than six months (see the Directive 10 note above) | Home Affairs |
| Extension lodged in South Africa | In person at least 60 days before the visa expires; for a visa issued for under 30 days, no later than seven working days before expiry | Home Affairs |
A sensible order of work
- Read the checklist for your visa and write down every country that needs a police clearance.
- Start the items that depend on another office's queue: the SAQA evaluation of foreign qualifications and any apostille that must come from an overseas authority.
- Have foreign civil documents apostilled or authenticated in the country that issued them.
- Commission sworn translations once the apostilled originals are in hand.
- Order police clearances last, timed so the oldest is under six months on the day you plan to lodge, with some slack for delays.
- Check the whole pack against your lodging centre's list, including items such as the medical report that Directive 10 waives, then lodge.
Which visa suits you is a separate question: see the critical skills, work visa, spousal and permanent residence guides. South Africans coming home with a foreign partner or children have a different paper trail, covered in moving back to South Africa. Once the visa is in hand, the first 30 and 90 days sets out what to do next.
Doing the paperwork from abroad? It helps to compare notes with people a step ahead of you. The Expat Club, our sister community, has a free members' area at expatclub.co.za/members where, after confirming your email, you can look through the directory and message other members. There is no charge at this stage, and the first meeting is planned for Cape Town in January 2027, with Johannesburg and Durban around mid 2027.
Frequently asked questions
How old can a police clearance certificate be for a South African visa?
For general work, critical skills, intra-company transfer, study, exchange and business visas, Home Affairs lists a police clearance certificate that is not older than six months at the time you submit. Count from the issue date to the day you lodge. A South African original sent to DIRCO for legalisation must also be no older than six months.
Does my marriage certificate need an apostille for a South African visa?
It depends on the visa. The critical skills list says a marriage concluded abroad needs proof of official recognition apostilled by the issuing authority, plus a sworn translation into an official language. The general work, intra-company transfer and study lists ask for the certificate or proof of official recognition from the foreign authorities and do not mention an apostille. Ask your lodging centre which it wants before you order one.
Who apostilles a South African document?
It depends on the document. DIRCO's Legalisation Section handles original Home Affairs civil documents, letters of no impediment and police clearances. Notarised copies, affidavits, powers of attorney and sworn translations go through a notary or sworn translator and then the High Court Registrar, and for Hague Convention countries the High Court issues the apostille without going to DIRCO.
Can I use a certified copy instead of the original?
Not for DIRCO: it does not legalise certified copies of birth, marriage or death certificates, police clearances or qualifications, and it rejects unstamped abridged printouts and laminated documents. For Home Affairs, follow the wording on the list for your visa, which is specific item by item.
Sources, checked 17 October 2026
The rules above come from the sources below, all checked on 17 October 2026. Requirements can change at short notice, so open the current version before you send anything.
- Types of visas (Department of Home Affairs): the checklists for each visa, including police clearance, sworn translation and apostille wording, and the lodging points.
- Turnaround times for visas and permits (Department of Home Affairs): the targets in the table, and the working days rule.
- Notice on Ministerial Immigration Directive 10 of 2026 (Department of Home Affairs): the waiver of the medical report.
- Government Gazette 55016 of 17 July 2026 (Department of Home Affairs): the text of the directive.
- Legalisation services (Department of International Relations and Cooperation): who legalises what, the booking rule, processing times, agents and the document age limits.
- Applying for a police clearance certificate (South African Police Service): the R190 fee, the 15 working day target, fingerprints, the backlog notice and collection.
- Status table, Convention of 5 October 1961 (Apostille) (Hague Conference on Private International Law): the dates South Africa joined the Convention and it took effect there, and the number of contracting parties.
General information only, not immigration/tax/legal/financial advice: confirm current rules and consult a qualified professional.