Many matriculants of the Class 2021 are ready to head abroad with their shiny Matric documents in hand in the hope of landing their dream job overseas. However, your South African academic qualifications must be legalised for official use abroad, and this process can be time-consuming. Since educational documents are not public documents, they cannot be apostillised or legalised before they are certified or verified.
Getting your academic qualifications verified and apostillised for legal use abroad can be a lengthy process. Not knowing where to have documents verified for their authenticity is often one of the most significant issues that people face. Before you can have your academic qualifications apostillised, you must have them verified for authenticity. This process is done by one of three governing bodies: Umalusi, SAQA and sometimes the QCTO.
People generally assume that Umalusi (the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education Training) verifies all academic qualifications, but this is not always the case. Some individuals will have to get their certificates and qualifications verified for apostille through SAQA or the QCTO, and not necessarily with Umalusi.
Umalusi verifies the following academic qualifications:
If you obtained any of these documents after 1992, they must be verified by Umalusi:
- Senior Certificate (pre-2008)
- National Senior Certificate
- Technical Certificate (N3)
- Senior Certificate: Colleges
- National Certificate: Vocational
- General Education and Training Certificate for Adults
The DHET verifies the following academic qualifications:
If you received your educational qualifications before 1992, they must be verified by The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). You will also work with the DHET if your older academic qualifications have never been verified.
The QCTO verifies the following academic qualifications:
Trade skills and qualifications must be verified by the Quality Control for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). These qualifications include:
- Trade Certificates issued by the QCTO
- Trade Certificates issued by the Department of Labor, Department of Manpower, and the Department of Higher Education and Training
- Trainee Certificates issued by the Department of Labor, Department of Manpower, and the Department of Higher Education and Training
- Trade Certificates issued under the Black Builders Act
- Replacement Trade Certificates issued by the QCTO
Understanding the process of matric certificate (and other academic qualifications) verification
Along with a certified copy of your ID document or passport, you will need to submit a certified copy of your academic qualification to SAQA or the DHET, QCTO, or Umalusi for verification. You must state the embassy or country requesting the document along with the following information:
- Requestor’s Embassy/ High Court / Consular name and address
- Name and Surname or the requestor
- ID number, contact number, email address, and contact person details
For most people, degrees or diplomas are required, and so SAQA is the place to go. Once your academic qualifications are verified, they go to the Legalisation Section of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) for the apostillisation process. Our services can handle everything, although it is easier if you do the SAQA process yourself.
After your academic certificates have been verified and received by the Legalisation Section of DIRCO, they are either authenticated with an Apostille Certificate (if the country you are travelling to is a signatory of the Hague Convention) or an Authenticity Certificate (if the country you are travelling to is not a signatory of the Hague Convention). Once authenticated or apostillised, you can legally use your documents abroad.
Need help with your academic qualifications?
We understand just what a lengthy process it can be to get your academic qualifications verified and apostillised for use abroad, which is why we offer a quick and convenient service that will take care of all your legalisation needs. If you’re keen on learning how to avoid long waiting periods, be sure to get in touch with us today!
