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NRSO Certificate South Africa: How to Apply [2026]
If you have applied for a post at a school, a crèche or a care facility, or you are applying to foster or adopt a child, you have probably been asked for an NRSO certificate. It is a clearance from the National Register for Sex Offenders, issued by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, and it confirms whether or not your particulars appear on that register.
The certificate is free. Getting it right first time comes down to using the correct form and attaching the correct SAPS fingerprint report, and this guide works through both using the Department of Justice's own checklist.
What an NRSO Certificate Is (and What It Is Not)
The National Register for Sex Offenders was created by Chapter 6 of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007. It records people convicted of a sexual offence against a vulnerable person, and people found unfit to stand trial for such an offence. An amendment in 2021 (Act 13 of 2021) widened who counts as vulnerable: beyond children and people with a mental disability, it now covers groups such as young women in tertiary education or training, people in shelters for victims of crime, and people with a disability or older persons in community-based care. The register itself is confidential, and the certificate is the lawful way to get an answer out of it.
It is not the same as a police clearance certificate. A police clearance (SAPS 365) comes from SAPS and covers your criminal record as a whole. The NRSO certificate comes from the Department of Justice and answers one question only. It is also separate from the National Child Protection Register, which the Department of Social Development keeps under the Children's Act. An employer in child-facing work has to check both.
Who Needs an NRSO Certificate
The law puts the duty on employers: anyone who places staff where they work with, look after or have access to vulnerable persons must make sure those staff are not on the register. Employers often ask job applicants to bring their own certificate, so many people apply on their own particulars. You are likely to need one if you are:
- applying for a post at a school, crèche, hospital or care facility, or any job that gives you access to vulnerable persons;
- applying to foster a child, adopt, provide kinship care or temporary safe care, or for curatorship (see our guide to adoption in South Africa);
- applying for a licence or approval to manage or operate an entity that works with vulnerable persons.
Which NRSO Form to Use
The Department of Justice uses four forms, all available on its NRSO forms page. Picking the right one first saves a second trip.
| Form | Use it when | Who signs |
|---|---|---|
| J738 (Form 7, Regulation 17(1)) | You want a certificate on your own particulars | You |
| J739 (Form 8, Regulation 17(2)) | An employer, licensing authority or relevant authority applies about another person, or you are applying to adopt, foster or provide kinship care | The applicant |
| J958 (Form 8A, Regulation 18A(1)) | Someone applies on behalf of another person to find out whether that person is on the register | The applicant, as a sworn affidavit, with the other person's written consent |
| J741 (Form 10, Regulation 19) | You want your particulars removed from the register | You |
If you are applying for yourself because a recruiter asked for it, you need the J738.
How to Apply for an NRSO Certificate, Step by Step
Step 1 - Get a SAPS 69(i) fingerprint report, not a SAPS 365
This is the step that trips people up. The Department of Justice does not ask for a police clearance certificate. It asks for a SAPS 69(i) Fingerprint Clearance Report. Go to a police station, complete the SAPS 91(a) fingerprint form there, and tell the official that you are applying for a SAPS 69(i) and not a SAPS 365. The SAPS 91(a) stays with SAPS; only the 69(i) goes to the NRSO office.
The difference matters. A SAPS 365 clearance certificate reports decided outcomes only, while the SAPS 69(i) also shows whether you have any pending cases. If you have no criminal record, it is a single page. A police clearance certificate you already hold, wherever you got it, is not what the NRSO office asks for.
Step 2 - Complete the form and gather your documents
For a certificate on your own particulars, the Department's checklist asks for:
- a fully completed J738, signed by you;
- your reasons for applying, set out in full (for example, the post you have applied for);
- a certified copy of your ID or passport;
- your SAPS 69(i) fingerprint report;
- full contact details: postal or physical address, phone numbers and email address.
Everything must be legible, and the Department says so in capitals on its checklist. The form asks for your 13-digit ID number, so it is worth confirming it is valid before you write it down: our free ID number checker validates the format and check digit in seconds.
Step 3 - Submit it to a Department of Justice office
Hand-deliver the application to any Department of Justice Provincial Office, where the Director: Legal Services deals with it, or to the National Office at 329 Momentum Centre, corner Pretorius and Sisulu Streets, Pretoria. You can also courier it to the Pretoria address. Submit original documents, marked for the attention of the Registrar: NRSO or the Director: Legal Services.
There is no fee. The Department states that its NRSO services are free.
How Long an NRSO Certificate Takes
The Department of Justice does not publish a processing time on its NRSO pages, so treat any turnaround you are quoted as an estimate. If you are working to a deadline, apply as soon as you have the SAPS 69(i), and follow up with the NRSO office on 083 444 1336 or at nrso@justice.gov.za.
The Department also advises anyone applying for employment to give their employer an affidavit stating that they have never been convicted of a sexual offence against a vulnerable person, under section 46 of the Act as amended in 2021. The affidavit goes on your employment file.
For Employers: Checking a Candidate or Employee
If you employ people who work with vulnerable persons, the duty to vet them is yours. You can apply about another person on a J739, attaching a certified copy of their ID and their SAPS 69(i). Alternatively, the J958 lets you apply to find out whether a person's particulars are on the register. It is a sworn affidavit, and it needs the person's written consent to the disclosure, certified copies of both your ID and theirs, and their SAPS 69(i). You can check that the ID number on a candidate's documents is a valid South African number with our free ID checker, though a valid number does not prove it belongs to the person.
If you find that an employee is on the register, the Department's guidance is that you must move them to a post that does not bring them into contact with vulnerable persons, and if that is not possible, end the employment. An employee who has been convicted of such an offence must disclose it to you without delay.
For anyone working with children you also have a separate duty under section 126 of the Children's Act to check Part B of the National Child Protection Register. That enquiry goes to the Department of Social Development on its Form 29 (CPRenquiries@dsd.gov.za), not to the Department of Justice. Our guide to background checks in South Africa sets out how these checks fit with the rest of a pre-employment file, and our guide on how to check a criminal record covers the SAPS side.
An NRSO certificate answers one question about one set of particulars. If you also need to confirm a candidate's identity details against Home Affairs records, our verification reports cover that side of the file. None of them checks the NRSO, the Child Protection Register or a criminal record.
Is the Sex Offenders Register Public?
No. The Department of Justice describes the National Register for Sex Offenders as confidential, and disclosing or publishing its contents is a criminal offence. Only defined categories may apply for information from it, mainly employers, relevant authorities, people applying to foster, adopt or provide kinship care, and people asking about their own particulars.
Early in 2025 the Minister of Justice announced that the register would be published by the end of February, starting with schools and other institutions that deal with children. A news item the Department carries on its NRSO page, dated 2 March 2025, reported that the release had been delayed, and the Department's FAQ still describes the register as closed to the public.
Getting Your Name Removed From the Register
Removal is applied for on the J741 (Form 10), and only the National Office in Pretoria handles it. Whether particulars can be removed depends on the sentence that was imposed, and some cannot be removed at all. The application needs a SAPS 69(i) requested "to obtain fingerprint clearance" and a sexual offence affidavit from a Department of Justice office, and it also depends on confirmation letters from SAPS. While your name is on the register, the conviction cannot be expunged under the normal route. Our criminal record expungement guide explains how that bar works and what changes once the name comes off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an NRSO certificate free?
Yes. The Department of Justice states that its NRSO services are free. The SAPS 69(i) fingerprint report is a separate SAPS process, so ask at the station whether a fee applies to it.
Can I use my police clearance certificate for the NRSO?
No. The Department of Justice says a SAPS 365 police clearance certificate is not required for NRSO purposes. What it asks for is the SAPS 69(i) fingerprint report, which also shows pending cases.
Where do I submit my NRSO application?
At any Department of Justice Provincial Office or the National Office in Pretoria, by hand or by courier, with original documents. The Department does not publish a turnaround time, so apply early.
Does an NRSO certificate expire?
The Department's NRSO pages do not give it a validity period. The certificate reflects the register on the date it is issued, so an employer may ask for a recent one.
Can I check whether someone is on the sex offenders register?
Only if you fall into a category the law allows, such as an employer vetting staff who will work with vulnerable persons, and then through a formal application (J739 or J958) to the Registrar. There is no public online search.