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Certified South African Identity Card Translation
eVerbary translates your South African identity card into English for $24.95 per page with no word cap, by a professional human translator, with a signed certification. Most orders are delivered within a few hours. Accepted by USCIS and by US universities, colleges and schools, or your money back.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, no word cap. No hidden fees.
Money-back guarantee
Accepted by USCIS and by US universities, colleges and schools, or your money back.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
The 13-digit ID number
Every South African citizen and permanent resident has a 13-digit identity number. The first six digits are the date of birth (YYMMDD); the next four are a sequence whose value gives the sex, 0000 to 4999 for women and 5000 to 9999 for men; then a citizenship digit, 0 for a citizen and 1 for a permanent resident; a digit once used for race classification and now usually 8 or 9; and a check digit.
Because it encodes the date of birth, the number is the quickest way for a reader to tie documents together, and we reproduce it exactly on every page. If a date of birth seems not to match, the number is not altered; the difference is for Home Affairs to correct. See our birth certificate page.
Smart ID cards and green ID books
Since 2013 Home Affairs has issued a smart ID card, printed in English, which needs no translation. Millions of people still hold the older green barcoded ID book, which is being phased out, and some have older books or the identity documents of the former Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda or Ciskei. Older books are often bilingual English and Afrikaans, and any part not in English is translated. See our Afrikaans page.
Until 1998 driving licences were printed in or fixed into the ID book, so an old book may also be someone's only proof of a licence from those years; see our driving licence page.
What USCIS requires
Under 8 CFR 103.2(b)(3), a foreign-language document must be accompanied by a complete English translation and the translator's certification that it is accurate. Every seal, stamp and marginal note is part of the document, so every one is translated.
State agencies set their own rules — see government agencies — and what our certification states is on this page.
How it works
Upload a photo or a scan of your document, pick the language pair and check out online. You never have to mail originals: a legible copy is all we need.
A professional human translator, never machine translation, translates the document word for word and mirrors the layout of the original. Every certified translation ships with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy that meets the requirements of USCIS, courts and universities.
Your translation is delivered digitally, usually within 24 hours for documents of one to three pages, and same-day delivery is available. If anything needs adjusting, we revise it.
Certified vs. standard translation
A certified translation is a word-for-word translation accompanied by a signed statement attesting to its accuracy and completeness. It is what official bodies require: USCIS, courts, universities and government agencies. Certified translations are $24.95 per page, where one sheet of your document is one page, with no word cap.
A standard translation is the same professional human translation without the certificate, for when you only need to understand the content or for internal or informal use. It is billed at the same $24.95 per page with no word cap.
Frequently asked questions
Does my smart ID card need a translation?
No. It is printed in English. A green ID book may need translating where its entries or stamps are in Afrikaans.
What does the 11th digit of my ID number mean?
It is the citizenship digit: 0 for a South African citizen, 1 for a permanent resident. We copy it as it is, like every other digit.
My ID book has a driving licence page.
Licences were issued in the ID book until 1998. We translate that page together with the rest of the book if it is not in English.
Ready to get started?
Upload your documents and receive your certified translation, typically within 24 hours.