TOUR GUIDES AND OPERATORS

Tourist guide registration, prepared and lodged

The registration itself costs R240 and lasts three years. What stops applications is the paperwork around it: a training provider that turns out not to be accredited, a first aid certificate that has lapsed, copies certified too long ago, or a pack sent to the wrong office. We check the provider with CATHSSETA before you spend anything, build the pack to your province’s own checklist, lodge it and follow it to the card and badge.

R490our fee · the registrar’s R240 paid to the registrar on top · prepared within 3 working days of your documents

All 9 provincesonline in the Western Cape, paper packs elsewhere, each to its own checklist

CATHSSETA checkyour training provider’s accreditation confirmed before you pay a fee

R240the registrar’s fee for three years, paid to the registrar

What actually goes wrong

The training provider is not accreditedThe certificate looks official; the registrar rejects it. This is the single biggest cause of refused applications, and it is checkable before you apply.
The first aid certificate is not from a recognised institution, or has expired between the course and the application.
Copies certified months agoThe Western Cape wants recent certification; a stale stamp sends the pack back.
Wrong category on the letter of competenceThe assessor’s letter must name the category and class you were assessed for, and the card follows it.

What you get for R490

Provider accreditation checkedWe confirm your training provider’s CATHSSETA accreditation and the SAQA registration of the qualification before you pay the registrar.
The documents list for your provinceExactly what to certify and how recently, the photograph specification, and the consulate letter if you want a foreign language on the card.
The application completedThe registration form, the code of conduct and ethics, and the driver-guide and language details if you want them published.
The fee referenceThe registrar’s banking details and the reference format for your province, or the card payment step online.
Lodged and followedSubmitted online or delivered to the registrar, and chased until the card and badge are ready, then diarised for renewal in three years.

How it works

1Order and answer the short formYour province, your training provider and qualification, the category and class you were assessed for, and your first aid certificate date.
2We check and prepareProvider accreditation confirmed, the pack and the copies list ready within three working days.
3You certify and pay the registrar, we lodgeWe submit and follow it to the card and badge.

Not sure this is the right one for you? Ask us first and you get a written answer within one business day.

What we will need from you

ID, or passport with permanent residence, work permit or refugee document
The CATHSSETA certificate or statement of results and the assessor’s letter of competence
The first aid certificate and its expiry date
Passport-style photographs to your province’s specification
Optional: driving licence and professional driving permit for a driver-guide listing, and a consulate letter for a foreign language

Frequently asked questions

Can you register me if I have not done a guiding course?

No. Section 50 of the Tourism Act requires proof of competence, which means a SAQA-registered guiding qualification from a CATHSSETA-accredited provider or an accredited institution. We check your provider’s accreditation before you pay; if it is not accredited we tell you and point you to the recognition of prior learning route or an accredited course.

What does the registrar charge?

R240, for a registration that lasts three years, paid to the provincial registrar. It is not included in our R490. Replacement cards and badges are charged separately by each province.

Which provinces do you handle?

All nine. The Western Cape is online through the provincial eServices portal; KwaZulu-Natal and most others take a paper pack by post or hand delivery. We prepare the pack to the province’s own checklist and tell you where it goes.

How long does it take?

We prepare the application within three working days of receiving your certified copies. Registrar processing varies by province and season; allow several weeks, and do not guide for reward until the card is issued, because section 57 has no grace period.

Tourist guide registration guide→ Tourism businesses hub→ Tourist transport operating licence R990→ Star grading application R890→

We prepare and lodge the application under your written authority. The provincial registrar decides whether to register, and the registrar’s fees are separate. Sources: the Tourism Act 3 of 2014, sections 50, 57 and 59; the Department of Tourism’s registration requirements; the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal registrars’ published guidelines. This is information, not legal advice.