Hi there. I was wondering if anyone could help me. I have lived in the UK for 14 years - studied here and ended up staying. I have dual passports and now married and Englishman and changed my name so need to get a new SA passport. Reading through the official website is a nightmare so I need someone to help me clarify:-
a) Is it correct that they are only taking appointments in June 09 for passport applications in London?
b) How long will it take to actually get a new passport in my hands from the day I have the appointment?
c) I have held dual passports for some 7 years I do not have any of my paperwork so cannot remember if I received a letter from SA saying I could hold both. So I am nervous that when I apply they will want to take away my SA passport. Can anyone shine some light on whether this is likely to happen?
d) What do I need to complete for the application and why is it that I cannot talk to anyone at the Consultate/Commission in London - you just get automated messages... Does anyone have a number where you can actually talk to someone at the Consulate about this?
Any help and clarity would be greatly appreciated.
Sorry..... I can't help but I know how you feel. I'll have a tall cold one for you, or maybe a nice cupa?!
Hang in there.
Dear Kerry-Lyn
Find below the answer we received from Johannes K. Tiba who is head of immigration and civic services at the South African High Commission in London. The answers to your questions are as follows: Is it correct that they are only taking appointments in June 09 for passport applications in London? Given the high number of applicants we have, prospects are that appointments until June 09 may have been set up by applicants. We recommend that you apply for a new passport by post if you cannot get the appointment date you need.How long will it take to actually get a new passport in my hands from the day I have the appointment?A new passport is issued within 4 months. I have held dual passports for some 7 years I do not have any of my paperwork so cannot remember if I received a letter from SA saying I could hold both. So I am nervous that when I apply they will want to take away my SA passport. Can anyone shine some light on whether this is likely to happen? The letter you allude to is no longer applicable. Ensure that you have your full birth certificate so that we can see how you acquired foreign citizenship.What do I need to complete for the application and why is it that I cannot talk to anyone at the Consulate/Commission in London - you just get automated messages... Does anyone have a number where you can actually talk to someone at the Consulate about this? The forms that can be completed are available on our website: www.southafricahouse.com . Click on Home Affairs and also on South African citizens. From South African citizen click on passports. It is worth noting that you can send a self addressed stamped envelope to this office so that we can post you the form that is not available online.
Hi there,
I see that you have replied to Kerry-Lyn and I just wanted to say a very big thank you! I am currently in the exact same situation and this has been the most helpful and useful information yet.
I have a couple of other questions that hopefully you will be able to answer too :
Firstly, I would like to make my application by post, as the dates that are available for appointments are very bad timing for me, and I stay quite far away from London.
1. If I request all of the ncessary forms to be posted to me, will I be able to have my documents certified locally (And will the Department of Home affairs accept them being certified by another source other than themselves?)
2. If my application is sent in by post, will I be required to only send certified copies or will they require ALL of my originals (Including my British passport) as well as the certified copies. (I am aware that they do not keep your current SA passport whilst processing the new one, but am not sure as to whether they will require it initially)
3. Section 'B' of the passport renewal form Bl-73 says : 'For Official Use Only - Certification of particulars' . Would this section need to be filled out by the person certifying my documents if I am getting this done locally? or is it strictly for the use of the Dept. of Home Affairs? - I am a bit confused as it says that a person Authorised by the DHA may sign it.
4. Who are persons Authorised by the DHA ?
5. Lastly, can I definately make my entire application for a South African passport renewal by post / mail.
I know these questions may sound petty, but I want to get all of my ducks in a row before sending in my application, as incomplete applications will not be considered and I don't want to waste time.
Thank again ;o)
Hay RV
Mr Tiba at Home Affairs likes you. He reckons if your paperwork is fine, they can do the whole thing through the post.
But rather see his detailed answers below.
1. If I request all of the ncessary forms to be posted to me, will I be able to have my documents certified locally (And will the Department of Home affairs accept them being certified by another source other than themselves?)Yes, we will accept documents that have been certified by a commissioner of oath or notary public. 2. If my application is sent in by post, will I be required to only send certified copies or will they require ALL of my originals (Including my British passport) as well as the certified copies. (I am aware that they do not keep your current SA passport whilst processing the new one, but am not sure as to whether they will require it initially)A certified copy of the photo – page of your passport will suffice. Please hold on your current passport until we have issued a new one to you.
3. Section 'B' of the passport renewal form Bl-73 says : 'For Official Use Only - Certification of particulars' . Would this section need to be filled out by the person certifying my documents if I am getting this done locally? or is it strictly for the use of the Dept. of Home Affairs? - I am a bit confused as it says that a person Authorised by the DHA may sign it.Law enforcement officials are allowed to complete it. However, as the issues of passports do not falls within their remit, they do not want to complete it. Please leave it open and we will attend to it.4. Who are persons Authorised by the DHA?Law enforcement officials, commissioners of oaths and notaries public.5. Lastly, can I definately make my entire application for a South African passport renewal by post / mail?Yes, you can apply for the renewal of your passport by post.
Thank you so much for this information - it was incredibly helpful and I really appreciate the extent you went to to get the information. I hope it has been helpful to others too. Warmely KL
Hi there again,
That's brilliant! Thank you so very much for your help. The information has been very useful and I'm sure that I will now be able to make my application successfully by post.
Tell Mr Tiba I say thank you for his time.
I will definately be recommending SA Times to others in future.
RV :o)
I wonder if you could put your problem solving talents to another test. Two parts this time.
1. My mum. Born in Durban in 1931. Came to this country in the fifties, met my Dad, got married and stayed. Had a British passport after meeting (and getting married to) my Dad. Now has two passports (British and SA). The SA passport runs out in 2010.
We went along to Whitehall in March to renew Mum's SA passport. We were asked for the piece of paper issued by the British Home Office in 1960 or whenever it was to say that she could have a British passport. We said that they already had a copy of that, and that all Mum wanted to do was to renew her passport. No, they said, you have to show that you are entitled to an SA passport. But, we said, we have one right here.
Does my Mum (who is 78 this year) have to go through the whole process of applying for an SA passport again, when all that she wants is a renewal?
2. Me. Born in England in 1964. I'd quite like to obtain a South African passport. I gather from reading the rules that I am entitled to one by descent. We are told that we have to have an interview at Whitehall and are given an e-mail address presumably at the High Commission in London. It's zeldah@foreign.gov.za. First e-mail that I sent did not get a reply, second one bounced back as there being no such address. Getting through by telephone to the Consulate General is impossible and letters to them are sent, received and not replied to.
Question. Who do I speak to at SA House and how can I contact them?
Yours
Matthew Knight
Dear Matthew
1. Mr Tiba at Home Affairs to your rescue again. His anwers can be seen below (in bold):
My mum. Born in Durban in 1931. Came to this country in the fifties, met my Dad, got married and stayed. Had a British passport after meeting (and getting married to) my Dad. Now have two passports (British and SA). The SA passport runs out in 2010. We went along to Whitehall in March to renew Mum's SA passport. We were asked for the piece of paper issued by the British Home Office in 1960 or whenever it was to say that she could have a British passport. We said that they already had a copy of that, and that all Mum wanted to do was to renew her passport. No, they said, you have to show that you are entitled to an SA passport. But, we said, we have one right here. Does my Mum (who is 78 this year) have to go through the whole process of applying for an SA passport again, when all that she wants is a renewal? A: The British Home Office letter in question is inapplicable in this regard as the applicant already has British nationality by descent and has been in possession of it for years. The British Home Office letter is applicable to those people who are South Africans in the UK with permanent residency status. The confusion in this regard is deeply regretted. The website will be amended so that it can be clear to all applicants. Regarding your mother, she still have to go through the normal process of passport application. Kindly furnish us with her e – mail address so that arrangements can be made to assist her. 2. Me. Born in England in 1964. I'd quite like to obtain a South African passport. I gather from reading the rules that I am entitled to one by descent. We are told that we have to have an interview at Whitehall and are given an e-mail address presumably at the High Commission in London. It's zeldah@foreign.gov.za. First e-mail that I sent did not get a reply, second one bounced back as there being no such address. Getting through by telephone to the Consulate General is impossible and letters to them are sent, received and not replied to. Question. Who do I speak to at SA House and how can I contact them? A: Given the high volume of calls we receive, we recommend that you send the enquiries by e – mail to Tibak@foreign.gov.za. Concerted efforts are made to answer all the e – mails within 24 hours of receipt. Concerning the issue of citizenship, please complete the determination of citizenship form (http://www.southafricahouse.com/Consulate/Documents/bi-529.pdf) and send it to Tibak@foreign.gov.za together with your full birth certificate. We will determine your claim to SA citizenship and once we have confirmed that you have it, your birth will be registered in RSA and you will be allowed to apply for a passport.
Hi,
I am living in Cardiff now and need to apply for my SA passport which expires in June. I'm planning to do this by post and have had a look at the website to try and understand the process.
I settled in Cardiff last July to start university studies but have been in and out of the UK before that since Sept 2005. I have dual citizenship (I was born in SA and grew up there, my Dad is from Europe so I have both passports) and have a letter of permission for this.
Do I need a letter from the British Home office?
Also, I am sending a letter to SA House requesting a BI9 form. Can I get fingerprints done at a police station in the UK?
thanks
I have dual citizenship (SA and British) and will be travelling to SA in Dec. My SA passport will still be valid, but it has my maiden name on it.
Is it possible to simply have my marriage certificate on me if any queries come up re my name?
I have not changed my name with the SA authorities - is this a problem?
Many thanks for all the other fantastic information on this thread.
Regards
LizD
Dear Editor,
Can you help? What is the definition of commissioner of oaths? Who can sign and certify documents when applying for a renewal on a south african passport. For the UK, you are able to approach a director of a private company, your GP etc... Could you clarify this for me please?
Thanks!!!
Hi All,
I finally made my application by post.
This is what I did :
1.Requested all of the below 3 forms from the following address:
BI - 73 (Passport Application Form)
BI - 529 (Determination of Citizenship Form)
BI 9 (Fingerprint Form)
South African High CommissionHome Affairs Consular Section 15 WhitehallLondon SW1A 2DD 2. Fill in all of your forms and have yor photographs taken 3. Take all original docs, all forms and photos to a police station that has a fingerprint bureau 4. The charge for the fingerprints is £63, but they will also certify all copies and forms for this charge 5. Enclose the below when posting application :
South African High CommissionHome Affairs Consular Section
15 WhitehallLondon
SW1A 2DD
2. Fill in all of your forms and have yor photographs taken
3. Take all original docs, all forms and photos to a police station that has a fingerprint bureau
4. The charge for the fingerprints is £63, but they will also certify all copies and forms for this charge
5. Enclose the below when posting application :
Supporting documents : 2x Certified copies of current passport 2x Certified copies of Identity document 2x Certified copies of full unabridged birth certificate (If British my descent) 2x Certified copies of British passport (Note : No British visa required, due to being a British passport holder) 2x Certified recent photographs Prescribed fee of postal order ( in British pounds) Also enclose a fully paid, stamped and self addressed special delivery envelope. (To post the new passport if you are not collecting it) I hope it all goes smoothly now. Does anybody know whether I will be notified once they have received and are dealing with my application? Good luck to everyone else who's trying! ;o)
Supporting documents :
2x Certified copies of current passport
2x Certified copies of Identity document
2x Certified copies of full unabridged birth certificate (If British my descent)
2x Certified copies of British passport (Note : No British visa required, due to being a British passport holder)
2x Certified recent photographs
Prescribed fee of postal order ( in British pounds)
Also enclose a fully paid, stamped and self addressed special delivery envelope. (To post the new passport if you are not collecting it)
I hope it all goes smoothly now. Does anybody know whether I will be notified once they have received and are dealing with my application?
Good luck to everyone else who's trying! ;o)
Hi everyone,
It's still not 100% clear to me what I need to do... (apologies if I am going over stuff that has already been answered!)
I am a dual citizen - Born and bred in SA, now living in UK, and have a UK passport through both my parents. I'm going home for Xmas, so need to RENEW my SA passport. I have decided to bite the bullet, and ring the premium number to get an appointment.
So my questions are:
1. Do I need to fill out the BI-529 form, even though I have a UK passport?
2. Will I need certified copies of my parents birth certificates? Surely the fact that I have a UK passport is enough evidence?
3. Since I'm going home for Xmas (7 months away) and new passports can take up to 4 months to process, does anyone know how soon I am likely to get an appointment?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Jono
Hi all
This is about the best place I found where I might get an answer to some , if not all, of my question. Thank God for the Internet!
I'm 26. Was born in Johannesburg in 1983. My mother is German and my dad is British. I still have a Sister living and working in South Africa to this day. I left SA when I was 15 with my parents. Since then my parents organised that I got a German Passport.
I really would like to get back to my roots and restart my own life in South Africa but obviously its a lot more comlicated than that.
1) Being born and raised in South Africa. Does this give me any advantages when it comes to getting all the relevant documentation I need in order to get back?
2) Does having a Sister out there help?
3) Given my particular situation. What path should I take? Is Dual Nationality even an option?
Any help would really mean the world to me!
Thanking you in advance
Terence