How to apply for a South African passport

Home Affairs issues passports to South African citizens. You always apply in person, because your fingerprints and photo are taken when you apply. If you are 16 or older, you need an ID first, so that your fingerprints are on record.

Which passport you need

A passport can’t be renewed: when it expires, you apply for a new one.

What it costs

Home Affairs publishes the fee for each passport on its tariffs and fees page and changes the fees from time to time, so check them before you go. A maxi passport costs more than a tourist passport. If you replace a passport that is still valid for 6 months or more, you pay double the normal fee.

How long it takes

Home Affairs says an adult or maxi passport takes about 13 working days after your fingerprints are taken, and a child passport about 18 working days. Delays happen in busy seasons, so Home Affairs suggests applying six to eight weeks before you travel.

Before you book a trip, check your passport: it must be valid for at least 30 days after the date you plan to come back, with at least two blank facing pages.

Where to apply

• A Home Affairs office with Smart ID services. See the list of offices. You can book a visit on MyHomeAffairsOnline.
• eHomeAffairs, then a branch visit. On eHomeAffairs you fill in the form and pay online, then approve the payment in your internet banking. Then you visit a Home Affairs office, or a bank branch that takes eHomeAffairs bookings, for your fingerprints and photo.
• Abroad: at the nearest South African embassy or consulate. Home Affairs says this takes at least six to eight months, and the fees abroad are higher than at home.

The partner bank branches on the Home Affairs bank branch page offer the Smart ID services listed there, not passport applications. To apply for a passport through a bank, use the eHomeAffairs route above.

What to take

• your ID and a copy (or, if you are under 16, your birth certificate and a copy),
• your current passport, if you have one,
• if your passport was lost or stolen: a police affidavit that you reported the loss; Home Affairs gives you the loss report form (DHA-335),
• the fee.

The application form (DHA-73) is filled in at the office. You don’t need photos at an office with Smart ID services, because your photo is taken digitally.

Your name in the passport is the one in the population register. If you changed your name, Home Affairs must record the change before you apply.

A passport for a child

• The child and both parents should come to the office together, each with their ID, and bring the child’s birth certificate (original or certified copy).
• If one parent can’t come to the same office, that parent goes to their nearest Home Affairs office with their original ID to consent in person. The application waits until they do. Home Affairs says a letter of consent with an ID copy is no longer accepted.
• If a parent has died, bring the death certificate.
• If the parents are divorced or separated, the parent who applies needs proof of full custody. If a parent can’t be found, refuses or disputes consent, the matter goes to the Children’s Court.

The consent rules are strict and Home Affairs pages don’t always agree, so ask the office what to bring before you go.

A lost, stolen or damaged passport

Report it to the police and get an affidavit. A replacement costs double the normal fee, but only the normal fee if the loss or damage was not your fault.

Collecting your passport

Home Affairs sends an SMS or email when your passport is ready at the office you chose. Bring your ID and your receipt or reference number.

A South African citizen aged 18 or older may not leave or enter South Africa on a foreign passport: it is an offence under the Citizenship Act.

Stay safe

Pay only the Home Affairs fee, at the office or on eHomeAffairs. Nobody can sell you a faster passport or a booking, and no agent can apply for you, because you must give your fingerprints in person.