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Type of documents

Welcome to Docs4U. Our main goal is to assist families and individuals in facilitating to get the necessary documents needed, from relevant Government Departments, with ease, by the services we provide. This simple approach makes us your first choice for this service, whether in South Africa or abroad. We believe that moving to another country is exciting but also stressful and sometimes confusing. Allow us to assist with the procedure, to make this adventure an unforgettable experience.

We’re thrilled you’ve decided to visit us – please browse our site to discover what we’re all about.

Unabridged birth certificates

A South African Unabridged Birth Certificate is a computer-printed document issued by Home Affairs. It shows the full information of the individual and the biological parents or legal guardians. Passengers under the age of 18 require this certificate (in addition to passports and visas) when entering or exiting South Africa, the Birth certificate is deemed an unabridged if both parents details reflect.  The Bi24 is the birth registration document, also known as the VAULT certificate, Home Affairs will not issue an unabridged birth certificate unless this VAULT document is on file at Head Office.  The fact that it is not there does not mean that you were not registered, it means that your documents are not in order at the Department.  If your child was born after 2010 the unabridged birth certificate is printed while you wait.

Unabridged marriage certificates

An unabridged marriage certificate proves that two people are legally married and that they have a legally binding marriage contract in place. Unabridged marriage certificates are official records denoting that two people have participated in a partnership and it includes jurisdictions where wedding licenses are not in place.  If the VAULT (marriage register) is not filed in Archives this certificate will not be printed.

Unabridged death certificates

An unabridged death certificate is a certificate of showing the full details of the person and death. The unabridged death certificate is a computer printout and the document can be apostilled or legalised. 

Vault birth certificates

Vault Copy Of Birth registration This is a copy of the original registration form completed by your Parent’s when your birth was registered. It is stored in the vault at Archives in Home Affairs, hence the name Vault copy. It is a photo copy of the original, which is both stamped and signed by the Home Affairs Officer. 

Vault marriage certificates

When applying for certain foreign passports, for example British, Irish and German, a Vault Marriage Certificate is required. This is a copy of the original “marriage registration” that was submitted to Home Affairs by the marriage officer. This copy is then date stamped and certified by the Department of Home Affairs.  Because there is a huge backlog with Unabridged Marriage certificates, the Vault copy is required before a Marriage certificate will be issued.

Police clearances

A police certificate is an official document issued as a result of a background check by the police or government agency of a country to enumerate any criminal records that the applicant may have.  This is only valid for 6 months.

Apostille

An Apostille is done on your original documents by DIRCO to verify the signature on the official document.

Below information is for information purposes only. Unabridged Birth and Marriage certificates can be applied for by anyone in your immediate family and it is valid forever as long as you don’t write on it or laminate it. This process takes approximately 4-6 weeks provided there is nothing outstanding in your file with the Department of Home Affairs. The good news is that if your child was born after 2010 you can apply for their unabridged birth certificates and wait for it to be printed (if there are documents outstanding in their files then it will not be printed while you wait). The fee is R75.00 payable to Department of Home Affairs. Police clearances are necessary for everyone in your family over the age of 17 years. This is only valid for 6 months, or 3 months in some countries and for this you need to apply at least 12-14 weeks before you need to submit your visa application.

 

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