All children born in South Africa must be registered within 30 days of their birth (in terms of the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1992.)
A parent, parents, guardian or any other person legally responsible for the child must complete Form BI-24 (with black ink only) and it must be submitted to the nearest office of the Department of Home Affairs if you are in South Africa, or the nearest South African embassy, mission or consulate if you are overseas.
Once the child’s birth has been registered, an unabridged birth certificate is issued free of charge, usually a day or so after the registration application has been submitted.
Birth certificates are issued upon request to persons who are:
If you need additional copies of a birth certificate you must:
Undocumented Foreign Nationals who are born in South Africa are issued with a certificate free of charge on registration of their births.
According to the Births and Deaths Registration Act, all births must be registered within 30 Days of birth. If a child birth is not registered within 30 days, it is considered a late registration of birth.
Births reported after 30 days have additional requirements. These types of registration of births are divided into three main categories:
1. 31 Days up to One Year
Apply at designated offices with the following requirements:
2. One Year up to Seven Years
Apply at designated offices with the following requirements:
3. Seven Years and Above
Apply at designated offices with the following requirements:
Children born within wedlock can be registered under the surname of the father and mother jointly, where both parents have given constent (subject to the signatures on the margin).
Form BI-24must be completed (with black ink only) and it must be submitted to the nearest office of the Department of Home Affairs if you are in South Africa, or the nearest South African embassy, mission or consulate if you are overseas.
Once the child’s birth has been registered, an unabridged birth certificate is issued free of charge, usually a day or so after the registration application has been submitted.
Children born out of wedlock are registered under the surname of the mother. They may also be registered under the surname of their biological father provided that the father acknowledges paternity and both the father and the mother consent to the registration of the child under the father’s surname in the presence of a Home Affairs official.
Form BI-24 must be completed (with black ink only) and it must be submitted to the nearest office of the Department of Home Affairs if you are in South Africa, or the nearest South African embassy, mission or consulate if you are overseas.
Once the child’s birth has been registered, an abridged birth certificate is issued free of charge, usually a day or so after the registration application has been submitted.
If you experience any problems accessing the site, please email the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Site developed and maintained by the © Department of Home Affairs
© 2024 Department of Home Affairs
