# Alternative to vault birth certificate from South Africa?



## Chadstick31 (Aug 19, 2016)

Are there any alternative documents I can issue to the embassy if the South African Home Affairs doesn't locate my vault birth certificate? To prove that I am in fact a citizen of SA and who my parents are. Cause seriously I've heard of people waiting years with no end to obtain their vault birth certificate copy. I have an original abridged certificate from when I was born in 1988, but it doesn't have my parents details. 

DHA told me they couldn't locate mine or my dads files so I had to fill in a Notice of Birth for us both, plus an affidavit stamped by police then send back to DHA. So who knows how this will end. All I want is to apply for Portuguese citizenship which is my birth right but the South African authorities at DHA are the most slack, lazy and incompetent bunch you will ever come across.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Presumably you have or can get a SA passport? - If so, that'll prove you were born in SA etc. 

For the next step, do you have or can you get hold of any of your Father's old documentation such as passport, book of life or Portuguese birth certificate etc? 

Then perhaps add any other supporting documentation you can get your hands on.

Funny thing about Portuguese bureaucrats is they love but love lots of pieces of paper they can slap their stamp on....... it often doesn't seem to bother them too much what those pieces of paper say or where they came from........ just as long as they can stamp them so it looks official. 

Some reading between the lines might be in order here.


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## Chadstick31 (Aug 19, 2016)

Well my mom is the Portuguese national. I need both parents unabridged birth certificate though to prove they are my parents. I can definitely prove who I am but the question is if Portuguese officials will accept the proofs. 

Lol I even have my grandfathers birth certificate and numerous documents from the Portuguese embassy regarding his marriage, my mothers birth registration as a Portuguese citizen etc. So I have quite a lot of evidence. If they enjoy their stamps on papers then I have many which already contain their stamps, some over 50 years old lol.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Chadstick31 said:


> Well my mom is the Portuguese national. I need both parents unabridged birth certificate though to prove they are my parents. I can definitely prove who I am but the question is if Portuguese officials will accept the proofs.
> 
> Lol I even have my grandfathers birth certificate and numerous documents from the Portuguese embassy regarding his marriage, my mothers birth registration as a Portuguese citizen etc. So I have quite a lot of evidence. If they enjoy their stamps on papers then I have many which already contain their stamps, some over 50 years old lol.


Sounds like you're off to a good start...... Why not put it all together & then take the whole lot to your nearest Portuguese high commission/Embassy/SEF office, show them everything & ask if you need to provide anything else...... I'd have thought if you can prove your Mother is a PT national then everything else would be secondary.


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