Regular South African passports are issued to South African applicants who are 16 years old and older. They are valid for 10 years and are not renewable. When South African passports expire, new passport applications will have to be filed.

An Identity document is important to get as soon as you are eligible (from 16 years of age) as it proves your identity. The green bar-coded Identity book (ID book) is also a legal form of identity when dealing with public and private institutions.

An apostille allows documents issued in one country to be officially accepted in another. Some documents which have been notarized by the Notary Public are required by the countries or territories where the documents will be used.

Notarization is the official fraud-deterrent process that assures the parties of a transaction that a document is authentic, and can be trusted. It is a three-part process, performed by a Notary Public, that includes of vetting, certifying and record-keeping.

A Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) is a document stating whether or not any criminal convictions have been recorded against an individual. This service is available to people who require confirmation of their criminal status for emigration purposes or for travel or employment abroad.

A birth certificate is an official document issued upon a person's birth, attesting to the date and place of birth. A marriage certificate is an official statement that two people are married. This is issued by a government official only after the civil registration of the marriage.