Frequently Asked Questions

What is the status of my application?

You can login to you r profile on the SACNASP Scientists Portal and update your contact details yourself at any time.

Payments should preferably be made through our SACNASP Scientists Portal as this ensures correct and immediate allocation of the payment. Where payments are made into our bank account

please use your account number as reference. Please note that payments made directly into our banking account could take 14 to 21 days to reflect on your profile and Certificates and applications for upgrade / an additional field will only be available to you once it reflects. In the case where a single payment is made for multiple individuals, please send a clear remittance advice to our finance department on debtors3@sacnasp.org.za indicating the account numbers of the individuals for whom payment was made.

We accept online payments through our

<a href="https://portal.sacnasp.org.za"... Scientists Portal </a>

by credit card, instant EFT, EFT and various other methods via PayFast. If you login to your profile you'll be able to see your current account balance and make payments against it.

Registered scientists over the age of 65 are charged annual fees at a discounted rate. Scientists who are unemployed or busy studying unfortunately do not qualify for any discount, although they may voluntarily cease their registration on request. In order to request voluntary cancellation, the registered person's account must be up-to-date. Should they ever wish to reactivate their registration a reinstatement fee will be charged.

SACNASP needs to do additional verification in addition to the SAQA evaluation. SAQA certifies to which National Qualification Framework level the qualification(s) are equivalent. The QAC of SACNASP assesses the subject content of qualifications according to the field of practice for which the applicant has applied.

Yes, when making payments against your outstanding account balance on our SACNASP Scientists Portal you can select to pay only a percentage of the balance. Please note that certificates andd other services such as applications for upgrades and additional fields will only become available to you once your account is fully paid up.

Payment of annual fees is the responsibility of the Registered Scientist. Some employers are prepared to make payment on behalf of Registered Scientists in their employ. Even where this is the case, invoices will always be made out to the Registered Scientist and ensuring fees are promptly paid remains their responsibility.

Annual fees are payable each year by 31 March. Failure to make payment within 60 days after this date could result in Cancellation of Registration.

You can login to our SACNASP Scientists Portal to view and make payments against your account balance. Our Finance department sends out invoices for annual fees in February / March of each year by e-mail. Invoices for application / QAC / Critical Skills fees will be issued once payment is made through the online portal. Should you not have received your invoice and would like it to be resent, or if you would like a statement on your account, please contact them on accounts2@sacnasp.org.za.

No, invoices may only be made out to Registered Scientists. Employers may not, under the tax laws in South Africa, claim VAT rebates for fees paid on behalf of Registered Scientists in their employ. Therefore no employer VAT numbers will be included on invoices.

Annual fees are invoiced each year in February / March for the following financial year, starting the following April. Invoices cannot be issued earlier than this.

Individual scientists are registered with SACNASP and we invoice our registered members directly. We do not, and may not legally, invoice companies for the registration fees of our scientists. Companies are welcome to make payment of fees on behalf of their employees, but should do so based on the invoice issued to the registered scientist.

Yes, you can generate your own proforma invoice during the online application process. On Step 3 of the online application process please click on the button to "Generate Proforma Invoice". Please then follow the instructions in red at the bottom of the invoice to obtain the payment details for EFT payment to be made if required. A similar option to generate a proforma invoice is available at the end of the reinstatement process for scientists reactivating after being cancelled for overdue accounts.

On the bottom right-hand side of the certificate there is a QR code that can be scanned to verify the certificate. This can be done by opening the camera on a smart phone or tablet and holding it over the QR code. It should automatically offer the option to open the online version of the certificate. Alternatively you can use a specialist QR code scanning app. On Android devices you can use the built-in QT scanner or Google lense. On IOS devices you can try this app or this one.

SACNASP takes payments online through it's SACNASP Scientists Portal . In order to get bank details into which EFT payments can be made. Login to the portal and select "Manage Balance". Proceed to PayFast, select the "EFT, instant" option and then the option to login to your internet banking and make payment. Then select the bank from which you'll be making payment, or any other bank and the details will be displayed. If you select the bank from which you'll be making payment, payments will reflect immediately. Selecting another bank will result in a delay of a day or two in your payment reflecting. In the case of payment for fees relating to an application, you will be directed to the PayFast page at the end of the application process and can follow the same procedure described above.

SACNASP's Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Programme is a mechanism for it to support its Registered Scientists in keeping their skill sets current. All Registered Scientists are required to collect 25 CPD points per five-year cycle. Points can be collected through a wide range of activities including working, teaching, reading scientific papers and attending conferences / courses. This also provides assurance to the clients of our Registered Scientists that they are making use of the services of someone with cutting-edge skills and knowledge.

SACNASP only recognises full-time work experience post the date that the degree was conferred. Thus, work experience will be calculated from the date of graduation with the degree that is required for the category of registration applied for. Please note that teaching experience is not considered. For registration as a Professional Natural Scientist at least a portion of the work experience must be in a position of responsibility where the applicant was working independently.

In order to apply for an upgrade, please login to the SACNASP Scientists Portal and click on the link to apply for an upgrade ore the one to apply for registration in an additional field of practice. Please note these options will only be available if your account is fully paid up. If you're owing SACNASP any money you'll need to pay it through the online portal provided before making your application.

If your Registration has been Canceled for non-payment, because you immigrated or because you voluntarily cancelled it, you are able to reinstate it. To do so, login to SACNASP Scientists Portal and click on "Reactivate Membership". Then make payment of the reinstatement fee required through PayFast and your membership will be immediately reactivated in the categories and fields of practice you were previously registered in.

Registration Certificates expire each year in March. All you need to do to renew your Registration and obtain an updated certificate is login to SACNASP Scientists Portal and make payment of any outstanding fees.

Referees and mentors are very important and should ideally be SACNASP registered. They should have first-hand knowledge of the applicant's work and although they do not need to be the applicant's supervisor they may not be his sub-ordinate. Referees and mentors should be able to provide critical insight into the scientific skills and capabilities of the applicant. In the case where they are not SACNASP Registered a CV will be requested from them and their reports will only be accepted if they are of equivalent professional standing to a Professional Natural Scientist. Mentors should be persons who are able to guide a Candidate Natural Scientist through a mentorship programme as part of his/her progress to becoming a Professional Natural Scientist. Those applying for registration as Professional Natural Scientist should provide details of three referees whilst those applying for registration as a Certificated Natural Scientist should provide the details of two referees. In the case where the application is for an upgrade from Candidate Natural Scientist, one fewer referee may be provided and a mentor should also be supplied.

All registered persons can use their registration certificate as proof of registration. You can obtain your latest Registration Certificate by logging into the SACNASP Scientists Portal and downloading it. Your potential employer can verify the validity of your certificate by scanning the QR code in the bottom right corner with the camera on a smart phone or tablet.

When an application along with payment is received through the online portal the Registrations office will do a check of all the documentation supplied. If there are any problems with the documentation the applicant will be notified accordingly and requested to login and correct the documentation. Once the office is satisfied that all the required documentation was adequately supplied the processing of the registration application will begin. The process takes three to six months from this point to the point where the final outcome is communicated to the applicant. It is important to be aware that no checking or processing will be done until payment is received for the application.

It is advisable that you request an updated non-handwritten transcript from the institute where the qualification was obtained before submitting it with your application for registration. This should preferably be on the letterhead of the institute concerned.

Yes, a professional/ legal translator must be consulted and only the original documents will be accepted. Some universities can also be approached to issue English translations of their own degree certificates and transcripts.

SAQA, or the South African Qualifications Authority, is an advisory / regulatory institution who evaluates foreign qualifications to assist decision-makers like SACNASP in interpreting these when foreign qualification holders are considered for, inter alia, application for professional registration.

All foreign qualifications that will be assessed as part of an application must be accompanied by a South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) certificate. Applicants with any foreign qualification are also liable to pay the Qualification Assessment fee for assessment by the Qualification Assessment Committee (QAC). Exemption is granted for doctoral qualifications obtained outside South Africa.

In order to obtain a copy of your latest Registration Certificate, please click on "Login" at the top of this page. You can use your Registration number to login. If you have never logged in before your password will be your ID or Passport number. Once logged in, please go to "Account Details" and scroll to the bottom of the page to enter a new password. We strongly recommend that you do not continue using the default password for security reasons. If you have logged in before, please use your password as previously set. If you cannot remember your password, please click on "Forgot Password / reference number" on the login screen and an e-mail will be sent to the private email address we have on record for you to allow you to reset your password.

It is advisable to complete the qualification before submitting your application for registration as an applicant can only be assessed in terms of completed qualifications. If you are applying for registration with only qualifications, and no work experience, you will be applying for a Candidate registration.

Registration provides legal compliance and recognition by a professional body. It is indicative of peer recognition by all scientists in a particular field of expertise. It ensures standard practices and conduct as registered scientists are regulated by a Code of Conduct. As such it provides assurance of quality to those the scientists serve.

If you're a practicing natural scientist in South Africa, registration ensures legal compliance. The Natural Scientific Professions Act (Act No. 27 of 2003) requires all practicing natural scientists to be registered in terms of Sections 18 (1) and 20(2)(a) of the Act. In addition registration provides your current or prospective employers / clients with a quality assurance of your capability.

All natural scientists working in the fields of practice covered by SACNASP should register with us. Scientists working in the health sciences, especially those doing clinical work should register with the Health Professions Council of South Africa instead. Engineers and those with engineering qualifications should register with the Engineering Council of South Africa. Those qualified in and / or working in the veterinary industry should register with the Veterinary Council of South Africa.

Unfortunately not. SACNASP requires a certified copy of the qualification certificate and the full academic transcript in order to process an application for registration. Should you apply without these your application will be put on hold until we receive them. No refunds will be made for applications that cannot be processed due to missing documents.

Yes, we do. Provided we have previously issued a Confirmation of Skills letter for a critical skills visa and the scientist’s registration is Active and fees paid up we will issue an updated letter as required free of charge. We do require some updated documents as we need to re-evaluate the situation each time we issue a letter as letters are linked to the specific job the scientist holds and Home Affairs changes the requirements from time to time. In the case where we have not issued a Confirmation of Skills letter previously a fee would be charged.