Quick Answer: NSFAS Declaration Form Requirements
A declaration form is used where your household circumstances cannot be evidenced in the ordinary way. It records, in a formal statement, a situation that documents alone cannot show.
It is most often needed where a parent is absent, untraceable, deceased or not providing support, and where no payslip or income record exists for that person. Requirements.co.za is an independent information website. It does not administer NSFAS funding, issue forms or process submissions, and it does not host official forms.
Who This Requirement Applies To
This guide is for applicants who cannot supply standard income or identity evidence for a household member because of their circumstances.
If you can obtain the ordinary evidence, use that instead. A declaration supplements the evidence route, it does not replace it by choice.
Eligibility Requirements
Declarations are accepted for defined situations rather than as a general substitute for documents. The situations below are the ones that most commonly arise.
Applicant type
- A parent is deceased. Normally evidenced by a death certificate alongside the declaration.
- A parent is untraceable or has no contact with the applicant.
- A parent is alive and contactable but provides no financial support.
- The household income is informal or irregular, so no payslip or formal record exists.
- The applicant is supported by someone other than a parent, such as a relative or caregiver.
Documents You May Need
A declaration is normally expected to be supported by whatever evidence does exist, rather than standing entirely alone.
Required proof
- The current declaration form from the official platform.
- A death certificate where a parent is deceased.
- Identity evidence for the person making the declaration.
- Any partial evidence that does exist for the household income position.
- Commissioning or witnessing where the form requires it.
Steps to Apply or Prepare
Establish which situation applies to you, since the declaration must describe your actual circumstances accurately.
Complete the current form fully and have it commissioned or witnessed if that is required, then attach any supporting evidence that exists.
Upload it with the rest of your application before the closing date, and check your status afterwards in case further evidence is requested.
Costs, Processing Times and Validity
There is no charge for the form. Commissioning a declaration at a police station or before a commissioner of oaths is normally free, though a private commissioner may charge. Whether commissioning is required is set by NSFAS.
Common Mistakes and Delays
Common mistake
- Using a declaration to avoid supplying evidence that is actually obtainable.
- Describing circumstances inaccurately, which creates problems at verification.
- Leaving out supporting evidence that does exist, such as a death certificate.
- Not having the form commissioned where that is required.
Where to Confirm Official Requirements
Download the current version of the form from the official NSFAS platform and confirm the completion requirements with NSFAS. The Official Requirements Sources South Africa page links to the responsible bodies. Where information here differs from what NSFAS currently publishes, follow NSFAS.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is an NSFAS declaration form needed?
Where household circumstances cannot be evidenced in the ordinary way, most commonly where a parent is deceased, untraceable or not providing support, or where household income is informal.
Does a declaration need to be commissioned?
Commissioning or witnessing is commonly required for declarations. Check the requirement on the current form, since it can differ by form and cycle.
Can a declaration replace income evidence?
Only where the ordinary evidence genuinely does not exist. Where evidence is obtainable, it is normally expected instead of, or alongside, a declaration.
Who completes the declaration?
It depends on the situation, and may be the applicant, a parent, a guardian or a caregiver. The form itself specifies who must complete and sign it.
Where can I confirm declaration requirements?
Confirm directly with NSFAS, which issues the form and sets when it applies.