Apostille certificates are a result of the Hague Convention that allows documents issued in one country to be accepted as official documents in another country. The authentication of public officials' signatures on documents are made in order to be used outside South Africa.

Finding a trustworthy and reliable legal practice to handle all of your legal needs in Gauteng should not be a hassle. At Benaters, we aim to make all your legal requirements easy to understand and help you every step of the way.

If you are planning to travel abroad for work or study purposes, or are getting married you may have come across a few legal terms that you might have you bamboozled. After reading this article, we hope that you will have a better understanding of what a Notary Public (or just a Notary) is, what functions a Notary is responsible for, and what it means to have a document notarised for legal use abroad.

You have found your dream home, submitted your offer to purchase and have been advised what the additional costs involved in the transfer of your new dream home are. And now you wait. And wait and wait. With increasing frustration (I mean you want to remodel that kitchen and bathroom already), your mind begins to wonder – why is this process taking so long?!

When a natural person dies, that person is called a ‘deceased person’ and all his or her assets on the date of death are placed in an estate. This estate is then referred to as a deceased estate. And arising from this deceased estate are certain inheritance taxes that the deceased estate has to pay.

Everyone has a cousin in Australia! Something we have said in jest before. But the truth is, immigration is a topic of conversation which has become commonplace nowadays - “when are you planning on leaving the country?” asked by every parent, aunt, uncle and well-meaning friend of a friend.  It is safe to say that we have all had this type of conversation at one point or another over the years.

Because the passing away of a loved one leaves families (and friends) in pieces, not knowing which way to turn first. So let’s make it easier on them and ensure that your estate is perfectly set up long before you shuffle off your mortal coil. Be the early bird and help your beneficiaries catch the worm… the first step – your will.

Once you have chosen your dream home and put in your offer to purchase there are some additional expenses you will need to cover. Reality sinking in, you start to wonder with increasing anxiety, what these expenses actually are…

A simple letter of direction or “assets log” can greatly assist your Executor to fulfil their role in the best, and most efficient way. The more your Executor knows about your Estate, the more he/she can gather the information themselves, without a great deal of expense incurred to your Estate during the information gathering process.

The starting point for a discussion about digital signatures in the context of South African law is the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act (ECT Act) which was passed in 2002. The ECT Act started with the basic premise that digital communications are no less valid than paper based communications.