How to Verify a South African Qualification Through SAQA

What SAQA verification actually checks

SAQA maintains the National Learners' Records Database, the central register of qualifications and part-qualifications registered on South Africa's National Qualifications Framework. A qualification recorded on the NLRD means the awarding institution reported it to SAQA and the qualification sits on the NQF at a defined level. This is different from foreign qualification evaluation, which is a separate SAQA process for assessing qualifications earned outside South Africa.

Before you accept a job offer that depends on a qualification, apply for further study, or pay any institution for a certificate, confirm the qualification is genuinely registered rather than taking a certificate at face value.

Step 1: Check your own record

If you want to confirm your own qualification is correctly recorded, you can request your full record from the NLRD. Individuals checking their own information receive the complete record SAQA holds, unlike third parties who only get a match or no-match result. Start through SAQA's official website at saqa.org.za and its Verification Services section.

Step 2: Use the Verifications Service as an employer or institution

SAQA's Verifications Service exists mainly for employers and institutions that need to confirm a specific applicant's qualification before hiring or admitting them. To use it, an organization signs a Verification Agreement and sends it to SAQA, then submits an exact query naming the qualification, the awarding institution, and the date achieved. SAQA responds only with "found" or "not found" against that specific query rather than releasing the applicant's full academic history.

If you are a student and an employer or another institution asks to verify your qualification this way, expect them to ask you for the precise wording of your qualification title and the year you completed it, since an inexact query will not match.

What the service does not cover

SAQA's Verifications Service explicitly excludes short courses, foreign qualifications, and professional designations. A short course certificate or a foreign qualification will not appear as verifiable through this specific service, even if it is genuine. Foreign qualifications go through SAQA's separate evaluation process instead, and professional designations are confirmed through the relevant professional body, not SAQA.

Step 3: Use the government verification page as an additional check

The South African government's public services portal also provides a Verify Qualifications page describing how residents can confirm a qualification through SAQA. Use it alongside SAQA's own site as a second, official reference point, especially if you are unfamiliar with the process.

Warning signs of a fake or unregistered qualification

• An institution or agent offering to backdate a certificate or issue one without recorded study

• A qualification title that does not match any entry SAQA can confirm through a verification request

• Pressure to pay extra fees directly to a third party for faster or guaranteed verification

• An institution that discourages you from contacting SAQA directly to confirm its qualifications are registered

If you cannot get a clear answer

Contact SAQA directly through the contact details on saqa.org.za rather than relying only on an institution's own claims. For qualifications earned outside South Africa, use SAQA's foreign qualification evaluation process instead of the Verifications Service, since the two serve different purposes.