The birth of your child must be registered within 30 days after birth at the Department of Home Affairs. It is free of charge to obtain an abridged birth certificate at the time of registration. You can apply for additional unabridged birth certificates once the child’s birth has been registered. You might need to pay a fee. An unabridged birth certificate is needed if you want to travel out of the country with the child.

 

Parents, guardians, or anyone legally responsible for the child can register the birth at a Department of Home Affairs office. If you are overseas, the birth can be registered at your nearest embassy or consulate.

 

 In South Africa, a child can be registered under either parent’s surname in the case of unmarried parents. If you’re married, your child will be registered under the father’s surname. 

 

All parents are now required to receive an unabridged birth certificate under the new regulations under the Births and Deaths Amendment Act. This document includes both parents’ details, including their full names, city of birth, and country of citizenship. By doing so, fraud and human trafficking are prevented.

 

Children younger than 18 years of age must present an unabridged birth certificate when they enter or leave the country under a new immigration law that went into effect on 1 June 2015.

How Do You Register a Birth Certificate?

 

As mentioned before, an unabridged birth certificate will be provided free of charge to newborns. However, if you need additional copies of your birth certificate, you need to complete Form BI-154, take a copy of your ID, the child’s ID and your application fee to the nearest DHA office. 

 

The process of obtaining copies of your abridged or unabridged birth certificates can be brutal when you go directly through the Department of Home Affairs. But, don’t fret. There is a solution! At DocAssist, we can apply for a copy of your abridged or unabridged birth certificate on your behalf. If you’ve already applied but don’t want to week months on end, we can expedite the process for you. We can’t guarantee that you’ll receive it within a few days, but you won’t have to wait months.

 

We assure you that we can take the time and effort out of applying for legal documents completely off your hands. Once the process is completed, we’ll ship it to your doorstep. For more information or to start the process, get in touch with DocAssist today. 

 

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