Channel for Visa documents

Channel for Visa documents for Spanish, Portuguese, Montenegro and more Long/Visa D Visas. Your documents Legalised, Apostilled and Translated. Step by step we show you how.

Document channels to follow:

Government Documents: STEP BY STEP

Collect all your Personal Documents you need for your application. Each visa type application is different. If in doubt have all your personal documents ready.

Government Documents

Channel for Government Visa documents:

  1. Apostilled
  2. Translated
  3. Translations need to be verified and legalised by High Court

1. APOSTIL – (Dirco)

Government Documents must be Apostilled by your countries Department of International Relations.

Dirco

These Documents must be apostilled (Dirco):

  • Qualifications after they have been verified by SAQA
  • Police Clearances
  • All Home Affairs Documents

DIRCO is used for Apostil in South Africa:

South Africa forms part of the Hague so any documents issued by the state needs go through this process.

  • Dirco is in Pretoria – if you are in the area you can make an appointment and drop them off. It is free.

POSTNET: Contact Details:

Contact Postnet CBD: (give them a call first so they can give you a quote, and are aware your docs are on the way to them):

2. TRANSLATIONS

All documents that you hand in for your Spanish visa must be Translated into Spanish. Portugal does not require translations. Montenegro requires translations.

  • Documents you create need to be translated. eg. business plan (Spanish self employment visa) and health certificate. If it is in the language of the country you are applying to you don’t need to translate. ie. don’t hand in an English version.
  • Give the Health certificate as in the sample to your Doctor in Spanish to sign. This way you don’t need to translate it.
  • Translate all non Spanish documents – by a sworn translator.
  • All translations, with the English version attached, go to the high court. (= to be legalised: This is to verify that the translator is a sworn translator of the country/state.)
  • You can ask any consulate for sworn translators in your area, they should be able to assist. Get a few names, as some of them are very expensive.
  • If you are in Cape Town, I can recommend Mabelle if you need a Spanish Sworn Translator.

Contact Details for Spanish Sworn Translator in Cape Town:

Mabelle Ackert
021 762 4369
082 405 0309

mabelle@iafrica.com

3. High Court Legalisation

All translated documents need to go to the high court. (This is just to verify that they are a sworn translator of the state/country.)

Channel for Non Government Visa Documents

  • Copies of Non governement documents need high court legalisation.
  • To do the this you need to have the copy Notarised by a Notary. (Find a notary in your area normally an attorney).

HIGH COURT – Legalisation (this is not the same as DIRCO)

What documents go to the high court for legalisation:

  • Translations. Must be handed in with a Notarised copy of the English version.
  • Any Documents that are not government documents and are a copy of the orginal. Copies of any Original Documents eg. Proof of Address, Passport, or ID need (Notarised first).
  • Place these documents into an envelope and mark it with your name, telephone number and Destination country. (Spain/ Portugal etc.)
  • Take them to the high court, eg. Cape Town has a high court. It could take anything from 2 hours to 2 days, depending on how many documents you have and how busy they are. Collect in the same place.

Notarised Documents:

A notary attorney notarised copies of documents. Take the original and a copy to the notary. The notary must only stamp the true copy. (The notary must not Ribbon it.)

Every application is different, these documents might be needed in your instance:

  • The Original Unabridged Death certificates
  • The original (valid) letters of no impediment (marital status)
  • Letter confirming an individual’s citizenship status and renunciation letters as issued and duly signed and stamped by the authorised Home Affairs official.  
  • The original adoption papers signed and stamped by the relevant Presiding Officer / Commissioner of Child Welfare of the Children’s Court (Department of Justice and Constitutional Development) or the Registrar of Adoptions at the Department of Social Development.

These will not be accepted:

  • Abridged marriage and birth certificates and computer printouts.
  • Certified copies of government documents. Need to have the original apostiled documents.
  • Certified copies only of travel documents/passports or identity documents these need to be accompanied by the original documents.

Documents of Education

Documents of Education ALL need to be verified by either the Department of Basic Education or by your National Qualifications Authority (called SAQA in South Africa).

Step by step details.