A person has to prove the place where he or she was born and the date of birth. The place must be in South Africa. Proving a birth can be very difficult if there is no birth certificate, or if the person was not born in a hospital or clinic. The Department of Home Affairs is not easily satisfied if the only proof is affidavits so try to find some other kind of documents which can be attached to the affidavits.

Documents which can help are:

• Clinic cards or school reports
• An affidavit from the chief of the area where the child was born, or from another respected person in the community, who has known the family for a long time and knows the child was born there
• An affidavit from the owner of the property where the child was born
• An affidavit from the mother’s employer at the time of the birth
• An affidavit from the person’s older sister or brother who already has an id and is accepted as a south african citizen
• Affidavits can be made by people who helped the mother at the birth or who were neighbours at the time of the birth