Every guide on this site ends in the same instruction: confirm the change-sensitive details with the body responsible for your application. This page collects those bodies in one place so you can get to the right authority quickly instead of searching for it each time.
Requirements.co.za is an independent information website and is not affiliated with any of the organisations listed below. Links are provided as starting points only. Where an official body publishes something that differs from a guide on this site, the official instruction is the one to follow.
How to Use This Page
Confirmation should come from the body that decides your application, not from a second information website. Before you submit anything or pay anything, check the current fee, form, deadline, eligibility threshold and channel directly with the organisation responsible for that process.
Be careful about which website you are actually on. Official South African government bodies generally use gov.za addresses, and some services are also delivered through appointed application centres. Treat any site asking for payment or personal documents with caution unless you are certain it is the official channel or an officially appointed one.
Identity, Civic Documents and Police Clearance
- Department of Home Affairs for identity documents, birth, marriage and death certificates, passports, and South African visas and permits.
- South African Police Service for police clearance certificates and criminal record checks.
- Department of International Relations and Cooperation for authentication, apostilles and the legalisation of South African documents for use abroad.
Related guides: Civic Documents South Africa.
Driving and Vehicles
- National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) for vehicle registration and licensing records and online services.
- Road Traffic Management Corporation for road traffic administration and related national services.
- Your local Driving Licence Testing Centre or registering authority for bookings, tests, renewals and roadworthy processes, which are administered locally.
Related guides: Driving Requirements South Africa.
Education, Funding and Registration
- NSFAS for national student financial aid applications, appeals and funding conditions.
- Department of Higher Education and Training for universities, TVET colleges and post-school policy.
- Department of Basic Education for schooling, the National Senior Certificate and the Funza Lushaka teaching bursary.
- SAQA for the evaluation and recognition of foreign qualifications.
- SACE for the registration of educators.
- Umalusi for the certification of school and college qualifications, and your provincial education department for school admission. Gauteng, the Western Cape and each other province run their own admission systems and calendars, so use the department for the province you are applying in.
Admission and registration criteria are set by the individual university or college, so confirm those with the institution itself rather than with a national department. Related guides: Education Requirements South Africa and Funding and Registration Requirements South Africa.
Business, Tax and Employment
- CIPC for company and co-operative registration, annual returns and company records.
- SARS for tax registration, tax compliance status and customs matters.
- Department of Employment and Labour for UIF, compensation fund matters and employment compliance.
Related guides: Business Requirements South Africa.
Immigration and Travel
- Department of Home Affairs for South African visas, permits, permanent residence and passports.
- The embassy, consulate or official visa application centre of the country you are travelling to, for any outbound visa. Each destination sets its own rules for South African passport holders, and only that country can confirm them.
- DIRCO for South African missions abroad and for document legalisation.
Related guides: Immigration and Travel Requirements South Africa.
General Government Information
gov.za is the South African government’s central portal and is a reliable starting point when you are not sure which department is responsible for a process.
If Information Conflicts
If a guide on this site differs from what an official body currently states, follow the official body. If two official sources appear to disagree, follow the one that is responsible for deciding your application, and where possible get the position in writing or save the page you relied on.
Details change without notice, and links to external websites can move. If you find a link here that no longer works, or a source that has been replaced, please report it through the Contact Requirements.co.za page. You can read more about how this site handles change-sensitive information on the How Requirements.co.za Checks Requirements page.