Quick Answer
The route depends on who issued or signed the document, and which country it is going to.
✓ Certificates issued by CIPC (such as your registration certificate) get a DIRCO apostille: R1,650 per document, about 1 week.
✓ Papers your company signs (resolutions, powers of attorney, share certificates) are notarised first (R1,350 per document), then apostilled by the High Court (R1,650 per destination country): 2–3 working days.
✓ Countries outside the Hague Convention (UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and others) need embassy attestation instead of an apostille.
Our prices are final. No VAT is added.
In This Guide
- Which route does your document take?
- CIPC certificates: the DIRCO route
- Resolutions, POAs and other company papers
- Countries that need attestation, not an apostille
- What it costs
- How it works, step by step
- When companies need this
- Mistakes that cause delays
- What we do not do
- Frequently asked questions
Which route does your document take?
An apostille confirms the signature on a document. So the first question is always: whose signature is on it? DIRCO can only confirm the signature of a South African government official. A paper signed by your own directors needs a notary first. The notary's signature is what the High Court then confirms.
| Document | Signed or issued by | Route | Our price | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company registration certificate, or another certificate issued by CIPC | CIPC | DIRCO apostille | R1,650 per document | About 1 week |
| Board or shareholder resolution | Your directors or shareholders | Notary, then High Court apostille | R1,350 per document + R1,650 per country | 2–3 working days |
| Power of attorney or letter of authority | Your company | Notary, then High Court apostille | R1,350 per document + R1,650 per country | 2–3 working days |
| Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI), share certificate or share register | Your company | Notary (certified true copy), then High Court apostille | R1,350 per document + R1,650 per country | 2–3 working days |
| Financial statements, auditor's letter or bank letter | Your auditor, accountant or bank | Notary, then High Court apostille | R1,350 per document + R1,650 per country | 2–3 working days |
| Any of the above, for a country outside the Hague Convention | — | Embassy attestation | Quoted once the embassy fee is confirmed | 2–4 weeks |
Not sure which row your document fits? Send us a scan on WhatsApp and we will tell you the route and the price.
CIPC certificates: the DIRCO route
The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) keeps the official record of every South African company. A certificate that CIPC issues, such as your registration certificate, is a public document. That means DIRCO can apostille it directly. You do not need a notary or a lawyer for this step.
DIRCO gives one apostille per document. Our price is R1,650 per document, and it takes about a week. As a DIRCO-registered service agent, we submit and collect for you.
A note on printouts. Most CIPC documents are downloaded from the CIPC website. Send us a scan before you courier anything. We will check whether it can go straight to DIRCO, or whether a notary must certify it first. If it needs a notary, it takes the High Court route instead.
Make sure your CIPC record is current. The apostille confirms the document, not the facts in it. If your directors or address changed, update CIPC first. A bank abroad will compare the document with what your company looks like today.
Resolutions, POAs and other company papers
Most company paperwork is signed by people inside the company: directors, shareholders or the company secretary. These are private documents. DIRCO will not apostille them, because there is no government signature to confirm.
The route has two steps:
- Notary. A notary public checks the document and the signatures, and certifies it. R1,350 per document.
- High Court apostille. The High Court confirms the notary's signature and adds the apostille. R1,650 per destination country.
This covers board and shareholder resolutions, powers of attorney, letters of authority, copies of your Memorandum of Incorporation (MOI), share certificates, share registers, financial statements and bank letters. The whole route usually takes 2–3 working days.
A notary can bind several documents under one notarial certificate. Then one High Court apostille covers that bundle for one country. Before you rely on this, ask the bank or authority abroad if they accept a bundle. Some want each document apostilled on its own.
We do not draft resolutions or powers of attorney. Ask your attorney or accountant to prepare them. Once they are signed, we take care of the rest. If the wording is for a specific bank or country, use the wording they give you.
Send us a scan of each document and the country it is for. We will confirm the route and the total price in writing before you pay.
Countries that need attestation, not an apostille
An apostille only works in countries that signed the Hague Apostille Convention. Many business destinations did not. These include the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria. For them, your company documents need embassy attestation (also called legalisation).
Attestation is a chain of signatures:
- Company-signed papers: notary, then the High Court, then DIRCO, then the embassy of the destination country.
- CIPC certificates: DIRCO, then the embassy.
Some countries add a final step after arrival. In the UAE, for example, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attests the document once it is in the country. The full chain takes 2–4 weeks.
Each embassy sets its own fee, and these change without notice. So we quote attestation only after we have confirmed the current embassy fee. If DIRCO has already legalised your document, the embassy step alone is R1,500 plus the embassy's fee. See our guides for the UAE and Qatar.
Recent changes. Saudi Arabia, China, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Morocco and Rwanda now accept apostilles. Vietnam switched to apostilles on 11 September 2026. Thailand switches on 28 February 2027. Not sure about your country? See apostille vs attestation.
What it costs
Every price below is final. No VAT is added, and the government fee is included.
- DIRCO apostille (CIPC and other government-issued certificates): R1,650 per document.
- Notary certification (company-signed papers): R1,350 per document.
- High Court apostille (after the notary): R1,650 per destination country.
- Embassy attestation: quoted once the embassy fee is confirmed. Embassy step only: R1,500 plus the embassy fee.
- Sworn translation, if the destination needs one: R1,000 per page.
- Courier: included within South Africa on completed jobs. International courier is R800 to R1,300, depending on the zone.
See all our prices on the apostille costs page. We confirm your full total in writing before you pay.
How it works, step by step
- 1. Send a scan. Send a scan of each document on WhatsApp, and tell us the destination country.
- 2. Get your route and price. We check who issued or signed each document. Then we confirm the route and the total in writing.
- 3. Hand over the originals. Courier them to us or drop them off. We notarise where needed and submit to DIRCO or the High Court.
- 4. Receive your documents. We collect the apostilled documents and courier them back to you, or straight to the country where they are needed.
When companies need this
Banks, governments and business partners abroad cannot easily check a South African document. The apostille (or attestation) gives them that proof. Common reasons include:
- Opening a bank account abroad for your company.
- Registering a branch or a subsidiary in another country.
- Bidding on a foreign tender, or signing a contract with a foreign partner.
- Giving someone abroad the power to act for your company.
- Applying for a business or investor visa. See our guides for the UAE and the UK.
If the documents are not in a language the destination accepts, you may also need a sworn translation. Ask the receiving party before you start.
Mistakes that cause delays
- Sending a resolution to DIRCO. DIRCO only confirms government signatures. A resolution must go through a notary and the High Court.
- Getting an apostille for the UAE or Qatar. These countries need embassy attestation. An apostille will be rejected.
- Using an old CIPC record. Update your directors and details at CIPC before you apostille anything.
- Not asking what the other side needs. Ask the bank or authority abroad which documents they need, and whether they accept a bundle. It saves time and money.
- Leaving it too late. Allow about a week for DIRCO, 2–3 working days for the High Court, and 2–4 weeks for attestation. Add courier time.
What we do not do
We are a private service. We are not CIPC, DIRCO or a law firm. We do not register companies, file annual returns or get documents from CIPC for you. We do not draft resolutions or powers of attorney. We apostille, attest, notarise, translate and courier the company documents you already have.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. A certificate issued by CIPC, such as your company registration certificate, is a public document, so DIRCO can apostille it. It costs R1,650 per document and takes about a week. Most CIPC documents are downloaded from the CIPC website, so send us a scan first. We will tell you if it can go straight to DIRCO, or if a notary must certify it first.
Yes. A board or shareholder resolution is signed by your directors, not by a government office. DIRCO will not apostille it. A notary certifies it first (R1,350 per document). The High Court then apostilles the notary's signature (R1,650 per destination country).
A CIPC certificate costs R1,650 per document through DIRCO. A document your company signed, such as a resolution or power of attorney, needs a notary (R1,350 per document) and a High Court apostille (R1,650 per destination country). Our prices are final. No VAT is added. Courier within South Africa is included once the job is done.
About one week for a DIRCO apostille. Two to three working days for the notary and High Court route. Two to four weeks for embassy attestation, for countries that do not accept apostilles.
No. The UAE is not part of the Hague Apostille Convention, so an apostille is not accepted there. Your documents need embassy attestation instead. The same applies to Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and other non-Hague countries. We quote attestation once we have confirmed the embassy's fee.
On the High Court route, a notary can bind several documents under one certificate, so one apostille covers the bundle for one country. On the DIRCO route, each document gets its own apostille. Some banks and authorities want each document apostilled on its own, so check with them first.
No. We do not register companies, file annual returns or get documents from CIPC for you. You download or request them from CIPC. We apostille, attest, notarise and courier the documents you already have.
Get a Quote for Your Company Documents
Send a scan of each document and the destination country. We will confirm the route and the total price in writing.