South Africa and the Netherlands at a glance
- Stamp
- Apostille, Hague Convention in force for South Africa since 30 April 1995
- Issued by
- The Registrar of the High Court in the division where the notary practises
- Language
- English, accepted as it is
- Register
- CIPC, the South African company register (online)
- Tax treaty
- Signed 2005, in force 2008 (Rijksoverheid, 1 October 2026)
- EU trade
- Southern African Economic Partnership Agreement, 2016
- In the Netherlands
- 100 companies controlled from South Africa in 2024, 80 in 2021 (+25%), about 4,000 jobs, €2.3 billion turnover, 0.5% of all 19,995 foreign-controlled companies (CBS, 9 October 2026)
- Moving here
- Residence permit needed
Documents from South Africa
Passport copy, certified by a notary in South Africa.
Proof of address in South Africa, at most three months old.
Power of attorney. Sign the power of attorney before a South African notary public (an attorney admitted as notary). The notary submits it to the High Court for the apostille.
Ownership statement, one page from us.
The apostille. The Registrar of the High Court in the division where the notary practises. Notarised documents get the apostille there. The foreign affairs department (DIRCO) in Pretoria only apostilles original government-issued documents (Home Affairs, police).
Good to know. Send notarised documents to the High Court. The foreign affairs department (DIRCO) refuses notarial certificates. At the High Court, this takes a few days. DIRCO takes weeks, and for the Netherlands the High Court apostille is enough.
If a company from South Africa becomes a shareholder
Register extract, at most three months old: CIPC, the South African company register. Download the company disclosure certificate and the certificate of incorporation. Have a notary certify the printouts, then have them apostilled at the High Court. Plus articles, signing authority and ownership chart.
Trade between South Africa and the EU
South Africa is the EU’s biggest trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa, with €46 billion of trade in goods in 2025. The EU is South Africa’s main trading partner and largest source of foreign direct investment, with 21.3% of its trade in 2025.
Transport equipment made up 27.3% of EU imports from South Africa in 2025, and pearls and precious metals 21.0%. Machinery and appliances led EU exports to South Africa at 34.0%.
The EU-Southern African Economic Partnership Agreement, signed in June 2016, provisionally entered into force on 10 October 2016. On 20 November 2025 the EU and South Africa signed a Clean Trade and Investment Partnership for clean supply chains such as renewable energy and raw materials.
EU investment in South Africa reached €40.4 billion in 2024. A €4.7 billion Global Gateway package from the EU-South Africa Summit in March 2025 grew into a Team Europe package of almost €12 billion in October 2025.
Import duties: Access2Markets.
Your next step from South Africa
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