
An unabridged birth certificate with the DHA stamp.
South African birth certificates, as they are currently referred to, indicate the names of both parents of a child, but this was not always the case. In fact, before 2013, South African citizens travelling abroad or re-entering the country could do so with the use of a standard abridged birth certificate. On this page, we will be discussing the differences between abridged and unabridged birth certificates to help you better understand which kind you will need for your travels.
The difference between abridged and unabridged birth certificates
Abridged birth certificates merely indicate the name and surname of a child’s mother. Unabridged birth certificates include the details of both the mother and the father.
From 1995 up until March 2013, South African children were issued with abridged birth certificates that stated the name and surname of their biological mother. Children who were born after March 2013 were issued with unabridged birth certificates, which indicates the name and surname of both their biological parents. Recently, the unabridged and abridged birth certificates fell away, and children are now automatically issued with The Birth Certificate, which indicates the name and surname of both parents.
In 2015, when the Unabridged Birth Certificate Regulations were issued, there was a huge uproar amongst travellers entering and leaving South Africa with minor children. South African citizens, as well as foreign visitors, were required to produce their child’s unabridged birth certificate before they could enter or leave the country, which is why the Department of Home Affairs was forced to revise their regulations and do away with the confusion between abridged and unabridged birth certificates.
Revised Birth Certificate Regulations for South African Citizens (November 2016)
Since November 2016, the mountain of paperwork that accompanied the abridged birth certificate that had to be used for travel purposes has been scrapped. In order to travel with minor children, you will now need your child’s passport and complete birth certificate before leaving or entering South Africa.
In the case where you need to have your official South African documents legalised for use abroad, you will have to obtain your unabridged birth certificate. This entails a visit to the Department of Home Affairs and a waiting period of roughly six weeks. After your unabridged birth certificate has been issued, you can send it in to the Legalisation Section of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in order to get it affixed with an Apostille seal (if you are traveling to a signatory country of the Hague Convention) or a Certificate of Authentication (if you are traveling to a non-signatory country of the Hague Convention).
Visas, citizenship, marriages and more
Apostil.co.za has many clients who require unabridged birth certificates for various reasons. The most common are for visa and citizenship applications, as well as marriages. Mostly, applicants find that applying for a birth certificate from overseas will take many months or is not possible. Our service is faster and is affordable (see pricing), and we can have the unabridged marriage certificate apostilled quickly as well. This means that someone getting married in two months would have to move their wedding if not for our services.
Apostil is here to help
We know how frustrating it can be to figure out which documents you will need (and which ones you will have to get authenticated for legal use abroad), but we are experts in the field, and we are here to help. Be sure to get in touch with us today and find out how we can help you with all your legalisation needs!
I am a German citizen with a Portuguese residence permit.
I need to apply for a Portuguese Residence permit for my wife.
She currently lives with me in Portugal.
She is a South African citizen and need:
1. Unabridged marriage certificate translated into Portuguese and certified
2. Police Report translated into Portuguese and certified
Is this something you can do.
If so, please provide a quote and approximate time scales
I am a South African citizen trying to fine some information for my foreign friend. How can someone obtain an abridged birth certificate if you have an unabridged birth certificate. Both the parents are foreigners, the kids were born in South Africa .
I lost my both parents and am struggling to get an ID ..so I don’t know how to get a unabridged certificate
With just an ID number, you can obtain the certificate. Do you have an ID number? If yes, get in touch with us.
Daughter born in 2015 has an unabridged birth certificate
Daughter born in 2021 has a birth certificate
Both seems to have the same information on it. Both Parents details etc.
Will we need an unabridged birth certificate for our second daughter if we would like to go to England?
We can’t definitely help you if you require a new unabridged birth certificate.