What is attestation?
When authenticating a document for another country, if that country does not belong to the Apostille Convention, the document is normally attested by the embassy of the destination country.
The correct word for attestation is actually legalisation. However, many people speak of embassies “attesting” documents, so we have used this word in this article and on most of our website.
What is the process for attestation?
Before you can have documents attested, the embassy requires you to high court and DIRCO authenticate the documents. Thereafter, you can have it taken by us to the embassy in question.
The embassies all have a different fee and time to wait. These fees vary from time to time based on demand and currency fluctuations. Sometimes, the fee is very expensive and worth noting well in advance to prepare monetarily.
Here is a brief infographic showing the process in detail for different types of documents.
Attestation embassy fees in South Africa
Each country that does not belong to the Apostille Convention (see the Hague Convention website here) will instead require attestation by their embassy in South Africa. As mentioned above, the documents have to first be authenticated and then go to the embassies.
Here are some of the more commonly required embassies and their respective attestation fees. Most of these embassies are based in Pretoria, South Africa. Timings and fees are estimates only based on our experience. Enquire for up-to-date information.
Disclaimer: These fees change often and enquiries must be made at the time of service delivery. Timing also changes and each embassy has their own public holidays, etc which can extend timelines. Embassies usually only accept cash, and surcharges are added for the risk of carrying cash.
| Country (Embassy or Liaison Office) | Embassy Fee (Excl. VAT) | Estimated Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam (Vietnamese Embassy attestation) | R1,100 per document | 1-2 weeks |
| Thailand (Thai Embassy attestation) | R1,200 per document | 3-5 days |
| UAE / Dubai (UAE Embassy Attestation) | R1,900 (per personal document) R12,500 (per business document) | 4-6 weeks Requires approval |
| Kuwait (Kuwaiti Embassy Attestation) | R1,350 per document | 3-5 days |
| Saudi Arabia (Saudi MOFA Attestation) | Apostille, not attestation (since 7 December 2022) | See Apostille pricing. |
| Ethiopia (Ethiopian Attestation) | R2,950 per document | 3-7 days |
| Mozambique (Mozambican Attestation) | R900 per page | 3-5 days |
| Taiwan (Taiwanese Embassy Attestation) Download application form | R500 per document | 3-5 days |
| Qatar (Qatar Embassy Attestation) | R590 per page | 1-4 weeks |
| Lebanon (Lebanese Embassy Attestation) | R350 per document | 5 working days |
| Jordan (Jordanian Embassy Attestation) | R450 per document | 5 working days |
| Egypt (Egyptian Embassy Attestation) | R3,350 per document | 5-10 working days |
| Singapore (Singapore Embassy Attestation) | R200 per document (since 16 September 2021) | 5 working days |
| Malaysia (Malaysian Embassy Attestation) | R1,100 per document | 5 working days |
| Canada (Canadian Embassy attestation) | R890 per document (since 11 January 2024) | 3-5 days |
| China | Apostille, not attestation (since 7 November 2023) | See Apostille pricing. |
| Zambia | R150 per page | 5 working days |
| South Korea | Apostille, not attestation | See Apostille pricing. |
| Any Apostille Convention country | Apostille, not attestation | See Apostille pricing. |
What is the cost?
The cost can appear high – mainly because you cannot immediately go to an embassy to attest documents. You have to have them authenticated (usually at DIRCO) first. For example, a marriage certificate first has to be authenticated and then taken to the relevant embassy. A South African degree must be first verified by SAQA and then apostilled before it can be attested.
Our service fee to complete an attestation (for any amount of documents you may have) per embassy does not include the embassy’s own fee – see full pricing details here. This price includes all our time and effort, not to mention travelling costs twice to and from the embassy, knowing where to go and what to tick and fill in, etc.
Attestation for/by other countries
There are many other countries with the same necessary procedure, but the above are the main countries that we are asked to attest for by South Africans. Many of these South Africans are working or teaching English abroad. We have become experts in attesting documents for the above countries.
Should there be any questions regarding attesting documents, please contact us on any of our contact forms, or email us on our email address below.