How to check if a sick note is genuine in South Africa

By PRACPROOF (PTY) LTD · July 2026

Sick notes are one of the most common flashpoints between employees and employers in South Africa — and forged or altered certificates are a real problem. If you handle leave in any workplace, sooner or later a certificate will land on your desk that doesn't look right. This guide covers what a valid certificate should contain, the traditional way to verify one, and the faster digital option.

The starting point is the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. Section 23 allows an employer to require a medical certificate before paying sick leave when an employee has been absent for more than two consecutive days, or on more than two occasions in an eight-week period. The certificate must state that the employee was unable to work for the duration of the absence, and it must be issued and signed by a medical practitioner or another person certified to diagnose and treat patients who is registered with a professional council.

While formats differ between practices, a credible South African medical certificate consistently shows: the practitioner's full name and qualifications; the practice's contact details and practice number; the date of the consultation; the period the patient is unfit for work; and the practitioner's signature. Vague documents — an illegible squiggle over a rubber stamp with no practice details — are exactly the kind that employers are routinely advised to question rather than accept at face value.

The long-standing verification method is to contact the issuing practice directly. The receptionist cannot discuss the patient's condition — that is confidential — but the practice can confirm whether the certificate was genuinely issued by them, on that date, for that person. This works, but it has obvious limits: it depends on office hours, the practice keeping searchable records, and the phone number on the certificate actually belonging to the practice (a forged note can carry a forged number that rings an accomplice).

The weakness in every paper certificate is that ink and letterheads can be copied. A newer approach attaches a tamper-evident QR code to the document when the doctor issues it. The code carries a digital signature created on the doctor's own device; change so much as a date on the document and the signature no longer matches.

PracProof certificates work this way. To check one: open your phone camera, scan the QR code on the certificate (or paste its verification link at pracproof.co.za/verify), and you'll see within seconds whether the document is genuine and unaltered, along with when it was issued. The check is free, needs no account, runs entirely on your device, and shows the prescriber's initials only — never the patient's medical details. No phone call, no office hours, no doubt about whose number you're calling.

Treat it as a disciplinary matter, not a shouting match. Document what you found, give the employee an opportunity to respond, and follow your workplace's misconduct procedure — presenting a forged medical certificate is a serious offence that South African courts have upheld dismissals for. If the certificate was legitimately issued but you doubt the clinical judgement behind it, that is a different conversation, and one your occupational-health adviser should lead.