PROOF OF BIRTHPLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH

1. Have you got a birth certificate?
2. If you haven’t got a birth certificate, can you find at least two or more of the following documents?
   • the record of your birth from the hospital or clinic where you were born
   • your baptismal certificate
   • clinic cards from when you were a baby
   • a letter from the chief in the area in which you were born
   • a letter from the owner of the farm where you were born
   • a letter from your mother’s employer at the time of your birth
   • a letter from any midwife who helped your mother at the birth
   • affidavits from the people who helped your mother at the time of your birth
   • affidavits from your elder brothers or sisters who have got IDs and are recognised as South African citizens
   • your primary school records or a letter from the school principal
   • a house permit on which your name is written, if your family lived in an urban area

BORN IN SOUTH AFRICA BEFORE 1949

You have a right to South African citizenship, regardless of your parents’ status. BUT the proof of the place and date of your birth must be very good. Affidavits from other people are not usually considered to be sufficient.

BORN IN SOUTH AFRICA BETWEEN 1949 AND JUNE 1961

You will also have to prove your father’s position at the time of your birth:

• Is your father a South African citizen?
• Can you prove this with his identity document?
• If he is not a South African citizen:
  • Does he have an ID showing him to be a permanent resident in South Africa?
  • Does he have a passport for the country he came from?

You will need to try to find proof of his status at the time you were born. These might be:

• Old passports showing his registration for work or permission to be in South Africa
• The record from TEBA showing that he was a contract worker in the mines
• Any other paper showing that he was working legally in South Africa at the time you were born

BORN IN SOUTH AFRICA AFTER JUNE 1961

1. Was either your mother or your father a South African citizen at the time you were born?
2. Can you prove this with their Identity Document?
3. Was either your mother or your father a permanent resident at the time you were born?
4. Can you prove this with their Identity Document, permanent residence permit, or immigration permit in their passport?