Home Affairs Issues Abroad

Consular Oversight & Application Support for South Africans Abroad

The DA and the DA Abroad play a crucial role in providing oversight over the Department of International Relations & Cooperation (DIRCO), as well as the Department of Home Affairs; in particular regarding the matter of poor service delivery at all South African consular offices abroad.

To achieve this, we are in continuous contact with both the diplomatic missions and the Department in order to highlight shortcomings and assist with individuals’ applications.

Therefore, should you be experiencing trouble with your document application overseas (an emergency, waiting 8 months or longer etc.), please reach out to us via our contact form explaining your situation. People who have gone through VFS for their applications can also make use of our assistance.

New service points for passports and birth registrations for South Africans abroad

Since July 2025, new consular locations for South Africans abroad have been steadily made available through VFS Global, where people are able to apply for passport renewals, IDs and birth certificates. For the full list of locations, as well as to book an appointment, please see the DHA website here.

The extra application centres are an interim measure to bring relief to the pressing problem of document renewal abroad. The Department’s ultimate goal is “Home Affairs @ Home”, a fully online system that brings government services to every South African, no matter where in the world they are. As a first step towards this goal, it is possible as of 1 November to have your document couriered to an address of your choosing, if applied for at a VFS service centre.

General advice for visiting South Africa without a valid passport

Due to current passport and ID processing delays (often 6–12 months) and recent developments around citizenship restoration, many South Africans are unsure how to enter the country without a valid South African passport. Under the 1995 Citizenship Act, South African citizens are required to enter and leave the country using a South African passport. Technically, entering on a foreign passport can result in fines or penalties.

However, in practice border officials are aware of the current consular backlogs and citizenship restoration. You will not be turned away, and you will not be arrested, but you may be asked questions or flagged in the system.

Our advice to people visiting South Africa without a valid South African passport is the following:

• If you have dual citizenship
  You can travel to South Africa using your other passport, subject to the normal visa requirements. Before you travel, pre-book an appointment at a DHA office in South Africa to apply for new documents, and print or save the appointment confirmation. At the border, bring your confirmation and any old South African documents (expired passport, ID book/card, birth certificate). Border officials may flag you as a citizen, but showing proof that you are renewing your documents usually resolves the situation. Allow roughly 15 days for new passport processing (as a general rule). Once issued, you can leave South Africa on your new South African passport.

• If you lost citizenship previously and have used the citizenship portal
  The situation above refers. You are now marked as a citizen on the population register and the system may flag you when entering. Please bring a screenshot or email confirmation from the citizenship portal, as well as any old documents. You can enter with your other passport and renew once inside the country.

• If you lost citizenship previously but have NOT used the citizenship portal
  This is currently a grey area and depends on your history. If you emigrated decades ago and/or have entered South Africa on your foreign passport before, you can likely continue doing so. If you emigrated in the last few years and/or have not visited for many years, there is a higher chance you may be flagged as a citizen in the system. In this case, carry any documentation that supports your status and be prepared for additional questioning at the border.

• If you are a South African citizen only
  You will need to book an appointment at your closest embassy/relevant VFS centre in order to apply for documents. Should your trip to South Africa be urgent because of illness or death in the family, you can request an Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) from your nearest embassy. This functions as a one-way document to SA, after which you should apply for documents domestically.