The SAPS 91(a) Form Explained
The SAPS 91(a) Form: What It Is and Why Applications Are Rejected
The official fingerprint form, who may take your prints, and why forms get rejected.
What is the SAPS 91(a) form?
The SAPS 91(a) is the South African Police Service fingerprint enquiry form. It carries the full set of fingerprints that SAPS uses to check your criminal record when you apply for a police clearance certificate.
It is the single most important document in the application. If the fingerprints on it cannot be used, nothing else in the application matters, however complete it is.
If you live in South Africa, SAPS requires that your fingerprints are taken by the South African Police Service. You cannot fill in this part yourself or have it done by anyone else.
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Police Clear (Pty) Ltd is an independent document facilitation company. We are not the South African Police Service and we do not issue certificates. SAPS issues them.
What the SAPS 91(a) form is used for
The form exists to match you to your fingerprints. SAPS checks them against its records to establish whether any criminal convictions are recorded against you.
That is why it carries more weight than a name or an identity number. Names can match more than one person. Fingerprints cannot.
The form is used for:
- Police clearance certificate applications, for emigration, visas, and travel or employment abroad
- Applications made from outside South Africa, where SAPS accepts it, if available, as an alternative to the official fingerprint form of the country you are in
Who takes your fingerprints
| Where you live | Who takes your fingerprints | Which form |
| In South Africa | The South African Police Service | SAPS 91(a) |
| Outside South Africa | Taken in the country you are in | That country’s official fingerprint form, or the SAPS 91(a) where available |
SAPS requires proof of identity when your fingerprints are taken.
Why SAPS 91(a) forms get applications rejected
Fingerprints that cannot be read. Applications are returned where the fingerprints are unclear. Smudged, faint or partial prints cannot be matched.
A copy instead of the original. SAPS states that it does not process copies or scanned versions of fingerprints. A clear photocopy of a perfect set is still a copy.
An outdated version of the form. Older versions of the fingerprint form still circulate online and are not accepted.
Prints taken by the wrong person. For applicants living in South Africa, SAPS requires the prints to be taken by SAPS.
Names that do not match. The details on the form have to agree with your identity document and the rest of the application.
A form sent on its own. The fingerprints are one part of the application. Without the rest of the application, SAPS does not process it.
Why a rejected fingerprint form costs so much time
A rejected set of fingerprints is not a quick correction. It usually means having your fingerprints taken again, re-assembling the application and waiting through the process a second time.
SAPS states that finalisation takes approximately 15 working days from the date all required documents are received, excluding postal time, and it currently reports a backlog. A rejection sends the clock back to the start.
For applicants abroad the cost is higher again, because the fingerprints have to be retaken in another country and a new application sent to Pretoria. SAPS does not return applications received from abroad.
Applying from outside South Africa
The fingerprint step is where an overseas application is most exposed, because the rules are different from a local application.
Before you have your fingerprints taken abroad, confirm:
- Which form is acceptable in the country you are in
- That the prints will be originals, not copies or scans
- How the finished certificate will reach you, because SAPS does not email certificates and destroys any not collected within 3 months of being finalised
It is far easier to get this right once than to correct it from overseas. Applications are handled end to end, for applicants in South Africa and abroad.
Getting your fingerprint form right first time
Prepared before it is submitted. The fingerprint form is where an application is most exposed, and catching a problem before submission is far cheaper than after.
We collect, we expedite, and we deliver. Applications are submitted directly to the Criminal Record Centre in Pretoria and handled end to end, for applicants in South Africa and abroad.
Speed you can plan around. Standard turnaround is 5 to 7 business days, with 3 to 5 and 1 to 3 business day options available, and approximately 80% of cases are completed sooner than quoted. Timeframes are estimates, not guarantees.
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Police clearance certificate cost
| Official SAPS fee | R190, paid to SAPS |
| Police Clear service fee | Private service fee, quoted on request |
| Standard turnaround | 5 to 7 business days |
| Need it sooner | 3 to 5 or 1 to 3 business days |
The R190 is the fee SAPS charges to run the check, and it is payable whether you apply yourself or through a service. Police Clear charges a separate private service fee for handling the application, quoted on request. Turnaround times are estimates, not guarantees.
Send us your details and we will confirm what your application needs and what it costs.
Fees are quoted in South African rand and include VAT at 15%. A binding price is given in a written quotation. Statutory fees payable to SAPS, Home Affairs or DIRCO are set by those authorities and are payable in addition. Our refund and cancellation terms are in our terms and conditions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the SAPS 91(a) form?
It is the South African Police Service fingerprint enquiry form, used to carry the full set of fingerprints required for a police clearance certificate application.
Can I take my own fingerprints on the SAPS 91(a)?
No. If you live in South Africa, SAPS requires that your fingerprints are taken by the South African Police Service.
Can I download the SAPS 91(a) form?
Older versions of the form circulate online and an outdated version is not accepted. If you live in South Africa, your fingerprints are taken by SAPS. If you are abroad, SAPS accepts the official fingerprint form of the country you are in, or the SAPS 91(a) where available.
Can I send a scanned SAPS 91(a) form?
No. SAPS states that it does not process copies or scanned versions of fingerprints.
I live overseas. Do I have to use the SAPS 91(a)?
Not necessarily. SAPS accepts fingerprints on the official fingerprint forms of the country you are in, or on the SAPS 91(a) where available.
Why was my fingerprint form rejected?
Common reasons include unclear prints, a copy instead of an original, an outdated form, prints not taken by SAPS for a South African resident, or details that do not match the rest of the application.
This page is general information about a document facilitation service. It is not legal advice. Requirements are set by SAPS and change from time to time. Confirm the current requirements with SAPS before you rely on them.
