Call us now:
Onah Attorneys Inc • Johannesburg
Criminal Record Expungement – Clear Your Name for Good
An old conviction should not keep costing you jobs, visas and opportunities decades later. If ten years have passed since a qualifying conviction, the Criminal Procedure Act allows your record to be expunged — permanently removed from the criminal record system. We manage the entire expungement application to the Director-General of Justice, including police clearance verification, so you can answer ‘no criminal record’ honestly and legally.
Call 011 042 8039Free Case AssessmentWhen you need criminal record expungement
A conviction older than 10 years blocking employment
Failed background checks for a new job or promotion
Visa and emigration applications requiring police clearance
Convictions with fines under the statutory thresholds
Juvenile convictions from years ago
Records that should have been removed but still show
Firearm licence applications blocked by an old record
Professional registration (finance, security, law) requiring a clean record
How we handle your matter
Eligibility check
We obtain your SAPS criminal record (SAPS 69) and confirm the conviction qualifies — sentence type, threshold and the 10-year clock.
Documentation
We compile the application: certified ID, record printout, court extracts where needed, and the prescribed forms.
Application to DG Justice
We lodge the expungement application with the Director-General: Justice and Constitutional Development and track it actively.
Certificate of expungement
Once granted, the DG directs the head of the Criminal Record Centre to erase the record and a certificate of expungement is issued.
Verification
We run a fresh police clearance to confirm the record is actually gone — the step most applicants skip and regret.
Fees — transparent, agreed upfront
Expungement is a fixed-fee service including the eligibility check, application and final verification clearance. If you do not qualify yet, we tell you exactly when you will — free of drama.
Key legislation:
- Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 (Sections 271B–271D)
Frequently asked questions
Who qualifies for criminal record expungement in South Africa?
Generally: 10 years have passed since conviction, the sentence was corporal punishment, a fine below the threshold (currently R20,000), or imprisonment fully suspended or under the qualifying limits, and no new convictions in that period.
Which offences can never be expunged?
Sexual offences against children or mentally disabled persons (National Register entries), and offences where you were declared unfit to possess a firearm, among others. We confirm your specific position first.
How long does expungement take?
Realistically 6–12 months from lodgement with the Department of Justice. Incomplete applications are the main cause of delay — ours go in complete.
Will an expunged record show on a police clearance?
No. Once expunged, the conviction is removed from the Criminal Record Centre and does not appear on a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC).
Can employers still find an expunged conviction?
Not through lawful SAPS channels. Court records are separate public documents, but the criminal record itself — what background checks query — is erased.
I was acquitted but still show a record — why?
Fingerprint records from arrest sometimes linger wrongly. That is not expungement but rectification — we force SAPS to correct the record.
Speak to an Attorney Today
Get straight answers about criminal record expungement from a firm that fights to win. First consultation — no obligation, full confidentiality.
Call 011 042 8039 Request a Callback