Depending on your needs, you may require documents to be authenticated, certified, or have certified copies made Document authentication South Africa and Germany are both members of the Hague Apostille Convention. This means that if you need to authenticate a South African document for use in Germany, you can have it Apostilled. You can find the full list of participating countries here.  It’s important to note that Apostille and Notarisation are not the same. They serve different purposes and are used in different situations. Here is a summary of the differences between Notarised, Apostilled, and Legalised: Authenticating South African Documents in Germany Apostille An Apostille confirms authenticity and allows a document (such as a birth certificate) to be accepted by authorities in another country.More information on Apostilles and legalisation can be found here. According to the South African Embassy in Germany, there are two options to have a South African unabridged birth, marriage, or death certificate authenticated with an apostille in terms of the 1961 Hague Convention: An application for a new unabridged birth, marriage, or death certificate shall be lodged together with a request for the document to be certified with an apostille (see suedafrika.org/en/visa-sa-documents/south-african-citizen-services.html). OR The original unabridged certificate* currently in your possession shall be submitted in person to the Embassy in Berlin or Consulate-General in Munich together with: a written request (in English) for the unabridged certificate to be authenticated with an apostille; original passport/identity document and a photocopy (the photocopy would be certified and the original document returned to the applicant); and a self-addressed A4-size envelope with postage paid (per Einschreiben), to return the original unabridged certificate after the apostille has been affixed. * According to the advice provided by the Legalisation Section of the Department of International Relations & Cooperation (DIRCO), the document should preferably be no older than one (1) year (see https://dirco.gov.za/consular-services/).  Please note that in both the above cases, the application/documentation would have to be forwarded to the relevant departments in Pretoria, where they are finalised/issued and returned to our office in the diplomatic freight bag. An application for a new unabridged birth, marriage or death certificate (with the apostille) may take up to 6 months to be finalised, while an apostille affixed to an original unabridged certificate provided by the applicant may take 2 to 3 months to be finalised.Such applications/documentation are sent to the relevant departments in Pretoria by diplomatic freight bag monthly from our office.Applicants who wish to expedite the delivery of application/documentation to Pretoria may elect to organise and pay for a courier – this should be confirmed when submitting the application/documentation to our office, which must be done in person.  Documents must be submitted in person and an appointment must made for this purpose To schedule an appointment at the Embassy in Berlin, please send an email with the information below to berlin.consular@dirco.gov.za; to schedule an appointment at the Consulate-General in Munich, please send an email with the information below to munich.civicapp@dirco.gov.za: Subject line of email: Appointment request Applicant’s first name and surname Applicant’s date and place of birth Applicant’s South African identity number Application type e.g. passport Contact details (Address + mobile phone number)  (After requesting an appointment, applicants shall also regularly check their email spam folder, as the email reply from the mission confirming the appointment may land up there) Difference between DIRCO and High Court apostille Apostil has a great page which explains the difference between a DIRCO and a High Court apostille.  –  you need to use DIRCO to apostille official Home affairs documentation Notarisation When the identity of the person signing a document needs to be verified, it needs to be signed in front of a Notary. Certification and signing of documentation before a South African commissioner of oaths Documentation may be certified or signed before a Commissioner of Oaths either at the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Berlin or at the Consulate General in Munich. The relevant documentation to be certified and photo identification e.g. passport or identity document must be submitted in person and an appointment made for this purpose by contacting the Embassy in Berlin (Tel. 030 22073 0; Email: berlin.admin@dirco.gov.za) or the Consulate General in Munich (Tel. 089 231 1630; Email: munich.admin@dirco.gov.za). Contact details SA Embassy/Consulate Certified Copies of documentation You can get certified copies of your original documentation at your local Bürgerampt, the Townhall or at a Notary. You can use the Ortdienste website to find your local Bürgerampt or Townhall. Click on the Bundesländer and zoom in from there.In German it is called “eine beglaubigte Kopie”.You will need to show the original document to them. Affadavit In South Africa, if you want to make an Affidavit (beedigte verklaring), you go to the police station and make your declaration.In Germany, an affidavit, known as “eidesstattliche Versicherung”, is a written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation. You can write an affidavit yourself and then have it notarised. When you need to use the affidavit in South Africa, you will have to write it in English, or have it officially translated to English. Translations Certified Translators in South Africa The German mission in South Africa has a list of certified translators. The list can be found their website Translation services in on our Website Info on the web Jesse Green from Apostil.co.za created an informative document to explain what an apostille certificate is and when you need it Information from DIRCO Consular Notarial Services (Legalisation of Official (Public) Documents) Companies that can assist with documentation Related Content