An Apostille is an official certificate that authenticates the origin of a public document. It’s issued by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) under the Hague Convention of 1961, which allows participating countries to recognize each other’s legal documents without further authentication.

Once a document has an Apostille, it’s legally valid for use in any Hague Convention member country — such as the UK, USA, France, or Australia.

 Example:
If you’re moving to the UK for work, your South African degree certificate must be Apostilled before it can be accepted by your new employer.

Attestation is similar to an Apostille but is required for countries not part of the Hague Convention, such as the UAE, Qatar, China, or Saudi Arabia.

In this process, your document goes through multiple stages of authentication — often including:

1. Verification by a Notary Public or Department of Basic Education (for educational documents)

2. Authentication by DIRCO

3. Final legalization by the relevant Embassy or High Commission

🏛️ Tip: Always confirm with the receiving country’s embassy whether you need an Apostille or Attestation before starting the process.

At Gov Docs Made Simple, we handle the entire Apostille and Attestation process — saving you time, effort, and frustration.

Contact Gov Docs Made Simple today for a free consultation or to start your application