Attest South African Police Clearance Certificates for use in the United States and abroad
Isarey provides specialist Apostille and attestation services to certify documents in South Africa. We authenticate Police Clearance Certificates (PCC) issued by the South African Police Service for use in the United States and abroad.
There are two methods of obtaining an Apostille in South Africa on a SAPS Police Clearance Certificate
1. Apostille from DIRCO
The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) will apply Apostille stamps to original clearance certificates issue by the South African Police Service (SAPS).
Apostilles from DIRCO are available in 5 - 10 working days (urgent service) or 4 - 8 weeks (standard service)
2. Apostille from High Court
An Apostille from the High Court takes 3 - 4 business days
A High Court Apostille is applied to a notarized true copy of the South African PCC. This can often be done from a good quality scan of the certificate without needing the original sent to South Africa. However, a High Court Apostille authenticates the signature and good standing of the South African notary and not the official signature of the SAPS officer, so it may not be accepted by all countries and for all purposes.
Police certificates requiring attestation for submission to non-Apostille countries, such as Qatar, UAE or Vietnam must be legalized at DIRCO and then submitted to the embassy of the recipient country in Pretoria.
We can also assist in obtaining South African Police Clearance Certificates for clients who need to apply from outside South Africa. A priority service is available for urgent applications.
Please contact us for information.
Isarey will take care of the entire process for you. We offer individual assistance certifying your documents and a dedicated project manager to ensure that each process is carried out efficiently and securely.
We'll arrange an insured courier to collect your original certificate and then obtain all necessary apostilles, legalizations and certifications. We also provide notarized and certified translations into Spanish, French, Portuguese and other languages, so that your certificate is properly legalized and ready to submit in the country where you need to present it.
We arrange secure delivery by courier worldwide.
How to obtain South African Police Clearance Certificates
Criminal record certificates can be obtained from the South African Police Service. We can assist clients who need to obtain a PCC from South Africa and offer an expedited service (estimated 5 – 10 business days subject to SAPS backlogs) submitting the application directly to the Criminal Records Centre (CRC) in Pretoria.
South African Police Clearance Certificates
South African Background Checks are available to South African nationals and foreign nationals who require confirmation of their criminal status in South Africa for emigration purposes or for travel or employment abroad. No proof of previous residency in South Africa is required. However, applicants must provide fingerprints (which applicants outside South Africa can take at a local police station). Fingerprints will be checked against SAPS records to verify a lack of criminal conviction – please contact us if you need assistance getting your fingerprints abroad and for the current fingerprint and application form.
When you receive your certificate from the SAPS, you should check for errors in your name, title etc. Certificates are typed out by hand and mistakes can occur. If your name or other details are not correct or misspelled, your certificate may be rejected by the recipient authority, and you will need to reapply (we can apply more quickly to have incorrect certificates re-issued when we have made the initial application for you).
For further information about applying for a South African criminal record check (PCC), see:
Applying for a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
Most authorities requiring criminal record certificates ask for a recent South African PCC (usually issued by SAPS within the last three months).
Certified Translations of South African PCC certificates
When presenting a criminal record certificate in a country which does not have English as an official language, then a certified translation may be required. The certified translation must meet the requirements of the destination country, so that a translation done locally in South Africa may not be valid and may require additional authentication via legalization.
Isarey works with local notaries and sworn translators in a wide range of destination countries. We'll take care of the entire legalization and translation process, so that your certificates are correctly translated and ready to submit:
- BRAZIL: translations into Brazilian Portuguese must be certified by an Official Public Translator in Brazil ("Tradução juramentada")
- GERMANY: translations into German must be certified by an officially authorized and appointed sworn translator.
- SPAIN: translator must be authorised by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs ("Traducción Jurada")
- FRANCE: translations into French must be certified by a translator accredited by a French court of appeal (Cour d'appel)
- ITALY: translations must be authenticated by a Court Clerk or by a Notary Public in Italy
- PORTUGAL: translations into Portuguese can be certified in Portugal by a local notary
For further information about our South African apostille service for SAPS Police Clearance Certificates for use in the United States and abroad, use our online quotation form or send us an email. We will get back to you directly with a quotation and details of how to proceed: