Before a document issued in one country can be submitted to the government of another country (eg. for a work permit application), it has to first be legalised.

Legalisation is basically the way in which the issuing country's government assures the receiving country's government that the document is not fraudulent.

A great many countries (including South Africa) have entered into what is known as the "Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Documents" also known as the Apostille Convention.

What the Apostille Convention does is simpify the legalisation process for documents going between countries that are both signatories to the Apostille Convention.

An Apostille Certificate is a certificate issued by the Department of International Relations (Foreign Affairs) or the High Court confirming that the person who signed / verified the document (the notary public or government official) is authorised to do so and that their signature is authentic.

In South Africa, Apostille Certificates are issued primarily by

1. The Registrar of the High Court, where documents have been

• Authenticated by a notary public;

• Translated by a sworn translator;

2. The Department of International Relations and Cooperations (DIRCO) in respect of the following documents

• Unabridged birth and marriage certificates;

• Police clearance certificates;

• Degrees, diplomas and transcripts;

• Matric certificates, school transfer certificates and reports;

• Drivers licence confirmation letter;

• Medical Reports;

If the documents are going to a country that is not a signatory to the Apostille Convention, a longer process will need to be followed in order to have them legalised.

The High Court and / or DIRCO will issue "Authentication of Signature" Certificates instead of Apostille Certificates and thereafter the authenticated documents will need to be submitted to the relevant country's Embassy / Consulate for Legalisation.

• When a document issued in South Africa is required to be used in another country which is also a signatory to the Apostille Convention, an Apostille Certificate will be issued either by the High Court or by the Department of International Relations (DIRCO). This will be the end of the Apostille process.

• Where a document is required to be used in a country which is not a signatory to the Apostille Convention (such as China or the UAE) the document will receive an Authentication of Signature Certificate (not an apostille certificate), which must be issued by DIRCO, irrespective of whether the document has gone to the High Court first.

• Once authenticated by DIRCO, the document must then be submitted to the relevant country's Embassy for legalisation. Only once legalised by the Embassy will the authentication process be complete.