What is a vault birth certificate and why do I need one

The South African Vault Copy of a Birth Certificate is essentially a copy of the original, handwritten, South African Home Affairs birth registration application that was originally completed by a child’s parents in South Africa when they applied to register their child as a South African citizen.

These valuable original documents are kept locked away in a vault (hence the name) at the Home Affairs Department in Pretoria.

Home Affairs personnel with the correct clearance are required to source the document from the Home Affairs vault, take a copy of it and then attest to its authenticity by stamping and signing the copy. The document features South African Home Affairs traditional pink stamp.

It is for this reason that applications for these documents can take so long to process. Applicants typically wait months or even years to obtain this much sought after document and it sometimes requires multiple applications.

Why are these documents required

These documents are required generally by British and some foreign immigration authorities as they see this document as being a true reflection of the original application form for birth registration and these documents much harder to forge than a standard printed South African Birth Certificate or even the SA Unabridged Birth Certificate. This is why they are preferred specifically by the British authorities.

Why is this document required

South African citizens wishing to enter into marriage with a British citizen or foreign national and wishing to register that marriage in that foreign country are generally required to submit a vault copy of their birth certificate as part of the list of supporting documentation motivating an application.

Q-pro can typically source these documents within 2-3 weeks from submission of application.

Skip the queues, complete the form below and a friendly Q-Pro consultant will contact you to finalise the sourcing of your documents expeditiously.