about document attestation
Do you need a South African Document attested for use in Middle Eastern countries or anywhere else in the world? Then you’re in the right place.
Forget all the hassle you’ve heard about.
Forget about the nightmare of flying back to South Africa and queuing for hours. Forget about the worry that something was handled incorrectly. Police Clear is a document processing agency specialising in document attestation and legalisation for documents that were issued in South Africa, we deal with everything, so you don’t have to.
We provide end-to-end document legalisation and attestation services for South African documents needed abroad. We authenticate South African documents for the UAE, China, Qatar, and other Middle Eastern countries.
We take the stress out of legalisation by managing the entire authentication process for you. We handle everything from start to finish including making necessary trips to the Embassy of the country your document is intended for.
Our processing time for South African document attestations is fairly standard; approximately 4-6 weeks.
frequently asked questions
Legalisation (or APOSTILLE/ATTESTATION as it is commonly known) is the process of authenticating South African documents for use in Middle Eastern countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and other parties of the Hague Apostille Convention
Attestation is most commonly used to authenticate educational and non-educational documents for travel, employment or higher education purposes abroad.
Processing time is largely dependent on the documents which are required to be attested and the country that they are required to be attested for.
We specialise in the authentication of required documents for use in other countries, such as:
- Birth, Marriage & Death certificates,
- Educational Qualifications, and Matriculation documents.
- Powers of attorney
- Court Documents
- Police clearance certificates
- Medical reports and certificates
- Letters of authorization
- Passport copies and Letters of no impediment
- Contracts and trade documents
- Language translations
When a document is attested, it eliminates all worries regarding the authenticity of the documentation and eases the process of your international endeavor.
It is a complex process, requiring careful attention to details, getting a document attested demands expertise and a full understanding of the procedures involved. Handling it on your own can mean unnecessary delay, slipups, and expenses.
Police Clear has years of experience in handling the attestation of valuable certificates and documents legitimately, keeping in mind security concerns and customer requirements. Police Clear also offers a range of services that simplifies the entire process of attestation/Apostille like:
- State Attestation
- HRD Attestations
- Chamber of Commerce attestation
- Translation Services
- Overnight courier (collecting & delivering)
- Overnight courier to multiple embassies/consulates
- Sworn Translation Services
- Authentication by the Notary Public & High Court
- Authentication by Departments of Basic & Higher Education
- Authentication by HPCSA (Health Professions Council of South Africa)
- Authentication by DIRCO
Send us your documents or have them collected by our specially allocated couriers.
As we are situated in Pretoria and have access to all Embassies and Government departments in South Africa’s Capital City, we can expedite:
- Authentication– The document will be sent to the Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO). Once approved, a Certificate of Authentication will be attached to the document.
- Legalisation– Then, your document will be sent to the UAE Embassy in Pretoria, where they’ll add a Certificate of Legalisation to the front page.
Finally, your document will be returned to Police Clear and attested before being sent back to you (or anywhere else you might need), safe and sound.
The Hague Convention is a treaty developed by Hague Conference on Private International Law (83 Members: 82 States and 1 Regional Economic Integration Organisation) to prevent children under the age of 16 years of being internationally abducted by a parent and removing them from their home country.
Any country not appearing on this list is not a signatory and as such documents cannot be apostilled for that country and will instead have to be authenticated / attested.
Please see here a list of these countries: https://www.hcch.net/en/states/hcch-members
What is an Apostille?
Quite simply, the apostille is a form of certification issued in one country that is recognised in any other country that is also part of the Hague Convention.
What is Legalisation?
For the most part, the term legalisation refers to a document being issued with the correct stamps or certificates in order to be recognised in another country. As above, this will refer to a document being issued with an apostille when the document is being used in a country party to the Hague Convention.
Attestation
This will usually refer to a document being stamped by a particular embassy. In some cases, this can refer to a signature being witnessed.
Authentication
The term authentication is typically synonymous with the term legalisation. This is in the sense that a document will need certain stamps or certification in order for the document to be authenticated for overseas use.
How Can We Help You?
We also assist local and international clients with document attestation, legalisations, apostille of South African documents, and sworn translation services.
