It seems that many people are either not aware of the importance of document attestation or are simply not even aware of it altogether. This is a highly important process, one that ensures that all illegal documents are inspected and that all legitimate documents are verified, which further allows citizens to travel abroad without any difficulty or setbacks in the slightest.
For those who may not be fully aware of what the attestation of documents in South Africa is used for, you have come to the right place. Simply put, attestation is seen as the process of checking the authenticity of one’s documents in order to declare their legitimacy, after which it will have the signature or stamp of the verifying personnel attached. This is often a hefty process that requires the traveller to submit their original documents, along with a xerox of the same documents, to authorised employees in order to be verified, requiring either a sign or a stamp in the given area.
If it isn’t already made clear for those who may still be confused, the importance of the attestation of documents in South Africa lies in the fact that in order to travel to another country, it is required that you apply for a visa. However, your visa is only able to be issued when assigned officials have had your documents verified, making the attestation of documents in South Africa a necessity. The same can be said for those that are looking for a family visa, where the attestation of your marriage certificate becomes mandatory.
In today’s world, attested documents have become quite a necessity, whether you plan on moving abroad or even just admitting your kids to a school. Since there are currently countless people within your country, let alone the world, who are looking to do the very same, it has become incredibly important to have your documents attested accordingly.
Such documents will often include:
- Personal documents
- Educational documents
- Commercial documents
If such documents are found not to be legitimate, then you can expect to face hefty difficulties, such as being rejected from moving to or visiting a foreign country. It is because of its sheer importance, the attestation of documents in South Africa is broken up into three different types.
The types of document attestation are as follows:
- State Attestation
- Such forms of attestation are needed before MEA attestation. However, based on the type of certificate in question, the right form of state attestation is required. For example, in terms of educational certificates, State Educational Department attestations are needed. For personal certificates, however, attestation from the General Administration Department is needed before the attestation by the Ministry of External Affairs.
- MEA Attestation/Apostille
- Before being handed to the appropriate state authorities for attestation, MEA attestations are prepared prior.
- Embassy Attestation
- Once the MEA attestation has been attended to, your documents will be handed over to the appropriate Embassy or Consulate for their attestation process to commence.
While you may feel that such processes are overly lengthy or unnecessary, this is a process that remains increasingly important for those looking to travel or move abroad in order to avoid any illegal activity on a global scale.
