The problem
South Africans need certified copies of documents for job applications, bank accounts, bursaries and much more. Getting them usually means taking time off, travelling and standing in a queue for a stamp.
What we built
We built Certlify to move the whole process online, using the channels people already use.
- Upload a photo or PDF on certlify.co.za or in the Certlify WhatsApp chat, with a selfie holding your ID so the commissioner can confirm it's you.
- A Commissioner of Oaths whose appointment we've checked reviews the copy and applies their stamp and signature.
- The certified document comes back to the customer, ready to submit, with an email at each step.
- Documents are encrypted at rest, and only the customer and their commissioner can open them.
- A prepaid wallet: customers top up and pay only for the documents they certify.
Built for commissioners too
Certlify is a two-sided product. Commissioners and firms get their own workspace to certify from a desk rather than a counter.
- A queue of ready-to-certify requests, each with the document and an identity selfie.
- Their stamp, uploaded once and applied to every document they certify.
- Their share of each fee credited as they work.
- Team accounts, so firms can add and manage their staff.
How we run it
Certlify is a React web app and a WhatsApp channel on a TypeScript and PostgreSQL backend that we host ourselves. We design, build, operate and support it end to end. The lessons from running our own product go straight back into the platforms we build for clients.
