Glossary of terms used on this site

Children of all ages, including infants, are required to have the same documentation as adults when traveling out of the country. In most cases, this includes a passport and any other paperwork required by the particular country you will be visiting.

A Police Clearance Certificate is the certificate issued by the Criminal Record Center of the South African Police Services which is a record of your convictions. This certificate is widely known as a Police Clearance Certificate, Police Clearance, Criminal Record, Arrest Record, Criminal Record, Certificate of Good Conduct etc

A document authorizing a person to act as another's agent or attorney for a specified purpose.

The person making the power of attorney.

A formal declaration made by a notary declaring a default in payment on a promissory note.

Protocol.   Every  notary  must keep a protocol and a register. The “minutes” (or originals) of every deed passed before him or her must be placed in chronological order and consecutively numbered in the protocol and an entry to that effect made in the protocol register. The documents in the protocol must be indexed and bound from time to time. The protocol must also be kept in a safe place. However, this does not include cases where he or she merely authenticates signatures or the correctness of a copy, or a noting slip in respect of a dishonored bill of exchange.

 A broad concept that is the focal point of the Apostille Convention. Essentially, a public document is a document that is executed by an authority or a person acting in an official capacity, and includes the categories of documents listed in Article 1(2) of the Apostille Convention. The determination of what constitutes a public document is entirely a matter for the law of the State of origin.