🎓 Getting your South African qualifications recognised abroad

Almost every skilled visa, professional registration and job offer abroad will at some point ask you to prove that your South African qualifications are real and to show what they are worth locally. The good news is that South African degrees, diplomas and trade certificates are well understood overseas. The catch is that the proof has to come from the right official bodies, in the right order, and most of it is far easier to arrange while you are still in South Africa. This guide explains who does what, roughly what it costs, and how to avoid the delays that catch people out.

Two different jobs: verification and assessment

It helps to separate two things that people often lump together:

• Verification happens in South Africa. An official South African body confirms that your certificate is genuine and that the institution and qualification are recognised here. For degrees and diplomas this is the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA); for matric it is Umalusi (or the Department of Basic Education for older certificates); for trade certificates it is the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO).
• Assessment or comparison happens in your destination country. A body there decides what your qualification is equivalent to locally (for example, "comparable to a UK bachelor's degree") or whether you meet the standard for a particular occupation or visa.

A common source of confusion is the SAQA evaluation certificate. SAQA's evaluation service is for foreign qualifications that someone wants to use in South Africa. If you studied in South Africa, you don't need a SAQA evaluation; you need a SAQA verification letter. The evaluation service only becomes relevant if you hold a foreign degree and later want to work in South Africa again, or if you are a returning Saffa with qualifications earned abroad.

SAQA verification letters for degrees and diplomas

SAQA keeps the National Learners' Records Database (NLRD) and, since 1 December 2019, has handled the verification of South African tertiary qualifications for legalisation purposes (it took this over from the Department of Higher Education and Training). If a destination country, employer or the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) wants an official confirmation of your degree, SAQA issues an original verification letter.

• How to apply: requests go by email to verificationsletter@saqa.org.za. SAQA's helpdesk number is 0860 111 673.
• Cost: at the time of writing (October 2026), SAQA's published tariff for a verification letter is R713 per letter for the 2026/27 financial year, rising to R742 in 2027/28 (SAQA tariff notice). Private clients may be asked to pay a pro-forma invoice up front.
• Time: the standard service level is 6 to 25 working days, counted from when SAQA has all the information it needs and has approved the application.
• Naming matters: SAQA can stamp and sign a copy of your certificate only if the title on it matches the registered title on the National Qualifications Framework. Where a university has used its own wording, SAQA confirms the qualification in the letter but won't stamp the certificate.

Many destination bodies also want academic transcripts sent directly from your university. Ask your university's registrar or alumni office how they send official transcripts abroad, whether electronically or in sealed envelopes, and order a few sets before you leave.

Matric (NSC and Senior Certificate) and Umalusi

Umalusi issues and verifies school-leaving certificates issued since November 1992, including the Senior Certificate, the National Senior Certificate (NSC) and the N3 and NC(V) certificates. Certificates issued before November 1992 are verified by the Department of Basic Education (schooling) or the Department of Higher Education and Training (vocational and adult).

• Authentication for an apostille: at the time of writing, Umalusi charges R130 (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027) to authenticate a certificate for DIRCO legalisation. You email a certified copy of the certificate and of your ID or passport (certified within the last three months), plus proof of payment, to verification@umalusi.org.za with the subject "Authentication for the DIRCO". Umalusi aims to finish within 48 working hours, and its covering letter is valid for three months.
• Verification for WES (Canada): Umalusi also verifies matric certificates for World Education Services at R130 per certificate, and sends the documents to WES electronically on your behalf. You'll get an email from Umalusi when it submits and another from WES when it receives them.
• Lost your matric certificate? Apply for a replacement through Umalusi or the Department of Basic Education before you leave. You can't verify a certificate you can't produce, and replacements take time.

If you only finished matric recently, note that from January to April after the November exams (and January to August for March supplementary exams), Umalusi can't authenticate your results yet. The Department of Basic Education handles the statement of results during that window.

Apostilles and DIRCO legalisation

Once SAQA, Umalusi or QCTO has issued its letter, the next step for many countries is DIRCO's Legalisation Section. DIRCO does not legalise original certificates on their own: it legalises the verifying body's original covering letter together with the stamped copy of your certificate.

• For countries that belong to the Hague Apostille Convention (including the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany and, since 2024, Canada), DIRCO issues an apostille and that is the only formality needed.
• For countries outside the Convention, such as the UAE, DIRCO issues a certificate of authentication and you then need the destination country's embassy in Pretoria to legalise it. Gulf employers often call this "attestation".

DIRCO recommends sending enquiries to legalisation@dirco.gov.za. See the DIRCO legalisation services page for current procedures, and our apostille guide for the wider process.

The main destination bodies

• United Kingdom: UK ENIC. A Statement of Comparability says what your qualification is equivalent to in the UK. At the time of writing it costs £69.60 including an e-Statement and takes about 15 working days once UK ENIC has all documents and payment (UK ENIC cost page). Employers, universities and some regulators ask for it. See moving to the UK.
• Australia: the skills assessing authorities. For skilled migration, each occupation has a designated assessing authority. The big ones for South Africans are VETASSESS (many professional and general occupations), Engineers Australia, ANMAC (nurses and midwives), the Australian Medical Council (doctors), AITSL (teachers), CPA Australia, CA ANZ or IPA (accountants), ACS (IT) and Trades Recognition Australia (trades). Separately, health professionals need registration with the relevant national board through AHPRA before they can practise. See moving to Australia.
• New Zealand: NZQA. An International Qualifications Assessment (IQA) compares your qualification to the New Zealand framework and is often needed for skilled residence. NZQA updates its fees each January, so check the NZQA website for the current figure. Registered professions also go through their own council. See moving to New Zealand.
• Canada: an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). Express Entry needs an ECA from an organisation designated by IRCC. The most widely used is World Education Services, whose base fee for an immigration ECA is CAD 264 at the time of writing, plus delivery and tax (WES fees). See moving to Canada.