Frequently Asked Questions

Bad credit record/debt and traffic fines.
If you were found guilty and charged, this offense will be recorded, irrespective of the charge. Minor offenses like drunk and disorderly and shoplifting will also appear if charged, as well as admissions of guilt. If a criminal case was opened and the investigating officer took your warning statement and fingerprints, this pending case will also appear on your clearance certificate.
A criminal record is a formal record of offences that you’ve been convicted or found guilty of in a court of law. In most cases, it lists all criminal offences and may also include traffic offences such as speeding and drunk driving. Generally, the police will not release your criminal record without your consent, but there are exceptions, including requests from other police forces and courts.
Expungement (also called "expunction") is a court-ordered process in which the legal record of an arrest or a criminal conviction is "sealed," or erased in the eyes of the law. When a conviction is expunged, the process may also be referred to as "setting aside a criminal conviction."  
If you are not already in possession of your child’s Unabridged Birth Certificate, and still need it, then you can apply at your preferred Department of Home Affairs branch or a South African embassy, mission, or consulate. The documents you will need include:
  • The Identity Documents of the parents and the child’s ID number
  • All documents need to be original or certified copies
  • Completed BI-24 Form, (filled in with black ink only) to register child’s birth
If your intended travel date is within this period, inform the Department of Home Affairs of this, and they will give you an official letter to use in place of the Unabridged Birth Certificate. Please note
  • Certified copies of documents are usually only valid for six months.
  • Minors traveling in school groups or with their grandparents are not exempt from the requirement
  • After April 2016, the Department of Home Affairs changed the term Unabridged Birth Certificate to Birth Certificate.
  • All birth certificates issued after April 2016 contain the information travelers require to exit or enter South Africa.
An unabridged birth certificate is a document that contains the first name and surname, date of birth, place of birth, ID number, sex and country of birth of the individual. It also includes information of both biological parents or legal guardians. In terms of the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992 all children born in South Africa must be registered within 30 days of their birth. Once the child’s birth has been registered, an unabridged birth certificate is issued free of charge.  
When you get married in South Africa, you’ll be issued with a handwritten marriage certificate on the day of your wedding at no cost, by the marriage officer. It is advisable to apply for your unabridged certificate from the Department of Home Affairs soon as possible, as all marriages are registered at the Department. Abridged Certificate Soon after your wedding, an Abridged Typed Marriage Certificate, issued by Home Affairs will be sent to you. This Abridged Marriage Certificate will contain both your personal details such as full name and ID number as well as the date of the marriage. It is sufficient for couples who are living in South Africa, as proof of marital status, and it will be accepted in certain countries abroad with an apostille/authentication. Unabridged Marriage Certificates  An unabridged certificate, also known as a full marriage certificate, contains more detailed information about both spouses, in addition to verifying that the nuptials are permissible and also documenting that the marriage has been witnessed by eligible spectators. This formal certificate is generally required if you plan to travel extensively, emigrate or obtain a foreign passport. If one or both spouses are not South African, an unabridged marriage certificate will be required to register the marriage their home countries.
Understanding the requirements of the country you wish to travel to. Do you require apostille or attestation? Documents needing to be attested will be sent directly to the Embassy of the country you wish to travel to. Middle Eastern embassies provide stamps and authentication that are higher than the Notary Public, High Court, Department of Basic & Higher Education, HPCSA and DIRCO. Documents needing apostille will be sent to the relative offices for stamping/authentication. This will add to your processing timeline.
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. Please see here a list of these countries: https://www.hcch.net/en/states/hcch-members
The processing timeline is solely dependent on which Embassy you require stamping from and the documents in question.