Vault Copy of your Birth Certificate

There are three types of Birth Certificates in circulation in South Africa i.e.:

• Abridged Birth Certificate which is a computer printout giving only the most basic of details of the person’s birth. This document does not depict the mother’s maiden name or the father’s names. These documents are no longer issued as standard.
• The new Unabridged Birth Certificate depicting the person’s full names, date and place of birth and full details of both parents including the mother’s maiden name.
• Vault Copy of a Birth Certificate which is a Home Affairs stamped copy of the original completed birth registration application document filled out by one’s parents. The original document is stored in South African Home Affairs vaults in Pretoria hence it’s name.

A Vault Copy of one’s Birth Certificate proves the right to one’s citizenship and is required where a person intends applying for a foreign passport or applies for a British ancestral visa. The document is a copy – certified by South African Home Affairs i.e. distinguished by its pink stamp – of the original hand written form completed by one’s parents when your birth was registered at Home Affairs.

These documents must be applied for direct at a South African Home Affairs Office and can not be legalised by apostille or certification at an embassy.

Immediate family members can apply for an Unabridged Birth Certificate or a Vault Copy of a Birth Certificate. Alternatively feel free to fill out the form below and we can obtain these certificates on your behalf.

Q-Pro can help.

Q-pro is an independent document sourcing specialist with no ties to Home Affairs.