How to apply for a Birth Certificate in South Africa – Steps and Documents Needed

Registering the Birth

As soon as a child is born in South Africa, their birth must be registered within 30 days, in accordance with the Births and Deaths Registration Act of 1992.

The parent/ legal guardian of the child must ensure that the BI-24 form is completed in black ink (only) and submitted to their nearest Department of Home Affairs. Should the parent/ guardian not be in South Africa (i.e. overseas), they must submit the form to their nearest South African embassy, mission, or consulate.

Shortly after a child’s birth has been registered, the parent/ guardian will be issued with a free unabridged birth certificate. This usually happens one to two days after the registration application has been submitted.

Remember, you will need your childs birth certificate when applying for a SASSA Child Support Grant.

If you do not have your childs birth certificate yet, you can apply for a child grant while you wait for the birth certificate to be issued.

Obtaining copies of the birth certificate

Upon request, birth certificates can be issued to individuals who are South African citizens. Individuals can obtain their birth certificate whether they are living inside or outside of South Africa, and this includes individuals who are not South African citizens, but rather, permanent/ temporary residents.

Should you require additional copies of your birth certificate, you must do the following:

Ensure the BI-154 form is completed, and submit it to your nearest Department of Home Affairs (if in South Africa) or nearest South African embassy/ mission/ consulate (if overseas)
Pay the necessary application fee

It’s important to note that if you are an undocumented Foreign National who is born in South Africa, you will be issued with a birth certificate (free of charge) when you register for your birth.

What happens if you register a birth late?

According to the Births and Deaths Registration Act, all births must be registered within 30 days. Should a parent/ guardian miss this window, the birth of the child will then be considered late.

Any births that have been reported after the 30 day window will have additional requirements. These types of registration for late births will be divided into three main categories:

31 Days to 1 year
1 year to 7 years
7 years and more

What do you need to register a birth?

A notice of birth in the form of a DHA 24/LRB
A proof of birth in the form of a DHA 24/ PB (applicable to children born at health facilities)
A proof of birth Affidavit in the form of DHA 24PBA (applicable to children born at home)
A DHA 288/ A (Affidavit giving reasons for LRB)
DHA 288
The biometrics of the child being registered (this is in the form of a palm, foot, or fingerprint)
The fingerprints of the parent(s)/ guardian(s)
The ID/ Passport documents of parent(s)/ guardian(s)

How to register the birth of a child born out of wedlock?

A child who is born out of wedlock are those whose parents are not married (i.e. have different surnames.) Children born out of wedlock can then be registered under the surname of both their parents jointly, where the parents have given consent (this is subject to the signatures on the margin.)

In this instance, the parents must also complete the BI-24 form (in black ink) and submit it to their nearest Department of Home Affairs (or South African embassy, mission or consulate if overseas.)

Once the child’s birth has been registered, an abridged birth certificate is issued free of charge (this is usually issued a couple of days after the registration application has been submitted.)

Read more about the different types of SASSA grants here:

SRD R350 Grant Care Dependency Grant Child Support Grant Foster Child Grant Disability Grant Older Persons Grant Grant-In-Aid War Veterans Grant

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CONTACT SASSA

For any further queries, please contact SASSA directly:
Contact the SASSA Toll Free Call centre on: 0800 60 10 11
Contact the SASSA Head Office on: 012 400 2322
Email SASSA Head Office at: Grantsenquiries@sassa.gov.za
Contact details of SASSA offices across the country: SASSA offices