How to Get an EMIS Number for Your ECD Centre in South Africa

An EMIS number is how the Department of Basic Education recognises your crèche on the national education system, and you cannot claim the ECD subsidy without one. Here is exactly what it is and how to get it.

Updated August 2026 · General information — the ECD function now sits with the DBE. Confirm the exact steps with your provincial Department of Education district office.

What is an EMIS number?

An EMIS number (Education Management Information System number) is the unique identification number the Department of Basic Education (DBE) assigns to a registered education institution, including a registered ECD centre. It identifies your crèche on South Africa's national education database and links your centre to official registration, reporting and subsidy claims.

EMIS is the DBE's own data unit, responsible for collecting and maintaining education information across the country. When your centre is captured on that system, it gets an EMIS number as its permanent reference.

Why does your ECD centre need an EMIS number?

Your ECD centre needs an EMIS number because it is proof your centre is recognised on the Department of Basic Education's system. It is required to complete registration, claim the government ECD subsidy, submit official learner and attendance data, and appear in DBE and provincial reporting. Without it, your centre is invisible to government funding.

• Registration: your centre must be on the education system for registration to be finalised.
• Subsidy: the per-child-per-day ECD subsidy only flows to centres recorded on the system.
• Reporting: attendance and learner data you submit to the DBE are tied to your EMIS number.
• Credibility: it confirms to parents and funders that you are a recognised centre.

Who issues EMIS numbers now, DSD or DBE?

Since 1 April 2022, the ECD function moved from the Department of Social Development (DSD) to the Department of Basic Education (DBE). Your provincial Department of Education now registers ECD centres and captures them on the education system, which is where the EMIS number comes from. You no longer register your crèche through DSD.

Older guides and even some government pages still point you to Social Development. Treat those as out of date. Your first stop today is your provincial education department or the DBE's national registration drive.

How do you apply for an EMIS number for an ECD centre?

You get an EMIS number by registering your ECD programme with your provincial Department of Education, now done through the DBE's mass registration drive. Apply online, by WhatsApp, or at your district office, pass a site inspection, and your centre is captured on the education database, where the EMIS number is assigned. Follow these steps.

1. Confirm your centre qualifies. If you care for more than six children, and your premises, safety and staffing can meet the ECD norms and standards, you can register.
2. Gather your documents. Collect municipal approvals, health and safety clearances, governing documents and staff records before you apply (full list below).
3. Apply to the Department of Basic Education. Apply online through the DBE registration portal at user-registration.dbecares.gov.za, through the registration WhatsApp channel, or in person at your provincial education district or circuit office. You receive an initial Bronze certificate.
4. Submit the remaining documentation. Upload or hand in the rest of your registration documents so your file can be assessed for compliance.
5. Host the site inspection. A DBE official and an environmental health practitioner visit your centre to check compliance with the norms and standards.
6. Get registered. Once approved, you move to Silver or Gold registration, your centre is captured on the education system, and your EMIS or registration number is issued.
7. Confirm your EMIS number. Ask your district office EMIS unit to confirm the number in writing, then use it for subsidy applications and DBE reporting.

What documents do you need to register?

Document requirements vary by province, but you will typically need proof of the right to use the premises, approved building plans, a municipal health clearance, a fire safety clearance, your centre's constitution or governing document, a business plan, a programme plan, and staff details. Confirm the exact list with your district office before you submit.

• Completed registration application form (from your provincial education department or the online portal).
• Proof of the right to use the premises (title deed, lease or permission to occupy) and zoning or land-use approval.
• Approved building plans from your municipality.
• Health and environmental clearance certificate from the municipal environmental health department.
• Fire safety clearance.
• Constitution or governing document, plus details of the management structure.
• Business plan and daily programme plan covering hours, fees, staffing, discipline and emergency procedures.
• Staff qualifications and IDs, plus checks against the child protection register and police clearance.

How long does it take to get an EMIS number?

Timelines vary by province and by how complete your application is. Government guidance has said a registration certificate can take up to three months, but backlogs mean it often takes longer. The Bronze certificate is issued quickly at application stage, while full registration and your EMIS or registration number follow the site inspection and document approval.

The single biggest factor in speed is you. A complete file with all clearances in place moves faster than one that keeps bouncing back for missing documents.

What does it cost to get an EMIS number?

ECD registration is free. The Department of Basic Education states clearly: do not pay anyone for registration support. If someone asks you to pay a fee to register your centre or to get an EMIS number, it is a scam. Report it to the Bana Pele call centre on 0800 202 933 or email banapele@dbe.gov.za.

What are the common mistakes that delay your EMIS number?

Most delays come from premises and paperwork, not the application itself. Centres get stuck when the building has no municipal approval, there is no health or fire clearance, governing documents are missing, or the owner never follows up with the district office after applying. Fixing these before you apply is the fastest route to your number.

• Applying before the premises have municipal building approval, zoning or right of use, health clearance and fire clearance.
• Submitting an incomplete file, with the constitution, business plan, programme plan or staff records missing.
• Going to the Department of Social Development out of habit. ECD now registers through the Department of Basic Education.
• Treating the Bronze certificate as the finish line. It is the start. The EMIS or registration number follows Silver or Gold approval.
• Never following up, so a completed file sits at the district office without a number being confirmed.
• Staff without the required child protection register and police clearance checks.

Once your EMIS number comes through, the ongoing admin begins: daily attendance registers, learner records, and DBE-format attendance data for subsidy claims. Zande is South African software built by a crèche owner to handle exactly that — daily attendance, DOE and DBE attendance registers for the R24-per-child-per-day subsidy, fee statements with WhatsApp reminders, and learner records in one place from R99 a month. It keeps the records your EMIS number depends on accurate and ready to submit.