Birth Certificate for South African, help!

[Nytocpt 0]

My fiance and I are completely ready for our interview in 10 days- we thought! I got an email from the consulate yesterday noting everything we need to bring including a COMPUTERIZED version of his birth certificate!? Everything we have read has said he needs the original.... which in south africa in the 80s is hand written. We have heard it is possible to get a second copy that is computerized but that it takes 8-12 weeks. Does anyone have any information on this? we are in a full on panic over here!

[Sunnyland 639]

Did you call the embassy about it? Hopefully someone from South Africa can answer your question.

[Nytocpt 0]

Unfortunately we did and they said they need the computerized. But I am also reading examples of peoples stories at the consulate where they "handed over their birth certificate" no notes about needing a computerized. Looking to see if anyone can share their stories with us

[SusieQQQ 11,585]

We had to get computerized versions of all our birth certificates for the immigration process (interviewed about 5 years ago). Bear in mind many of the old handwritten ones are also short form and not always in English and the embassy needs long form and in English. I’ve heard of a case where someone managed to get a handwritten marriage certificate accepted (using an affidavit from the pastor), you usually also need computerized versions of those, but I have not heard of it re birth certificates.  The consulate will probably put your fiancé on AP pending submission of the computerized BC, so I’d suggest you put the application in now to get it started. 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2018 by SusieQQQ

[Sunnyland 639]

In my country they accepted the hand written BC (with all the legal seals, etc) that I had requested at my civil registry. It was a long version of it. For what I read in other forums of your country they always need the Unabridged Birth Certificate at that embassy.

They may put you on hold until you can give them what they want. You should start requesting a copy now to get the ball going. Is there any way you can expedite the computerized version by paying an extra fee? Did you contact your Home Affairs for that matter? If you request a computerized copy,  my advise is always request at least 2 copies so you will always have an spare copy in case one gets lost.

[SusieQQQ 11,585]

4 hours ago, Sunnyland said:

In my country they accepted the hand written BC (with all the legal seals, etc) that I had requested at my civil registry. It was a long version of it. For what I read in other forums of your country they always need the Unabridged Birth Certificate at that embassy.

They may put you on hold until you can give them what they want. You should start requesting a copy now to get the ball going. Is there any way you can expedite the computerized version by paying an extra fee? Did you contact your Home Affairs for that matter? If you request a computerized copy,  my advise is always request at least 2 copies so you will always have an spare copy in case one gets lost.

Maybe your country accepts handwritten BCs, but Johannesburg does not. Home Affairs has not issued handwritten BCs for at least 18 years (which is when my oldest child was born and we were issued a computer printed one), probably longer; and any new requests to them are automatically computer-printed (Home Affairs also does not have “legal seals”, just a wet-ink stamp). 

 

OP has already had the same response from the consulate and obviously, consulate is the final authority over what it will accept. OP and fiancé appear to have somehow assumed that just because people didn’t specify the BCs were computerized that they weren’t, but that was a mistaken assumption. Just like some people assume they can bring documents in one of the other official languages of the country (which is the usual practice in most other countries), but Johannesburg only accepts English documents. 

 

They can possibly expedite the process by paying an “agent” to submit the request for them. These agents often (though not always) magically get the documents much faster than ordinary people. I’m sure you can figure out how that process works...

Edited May 12, 2018 by SusieQQQ