Home Affairs extends operating hours for ID collection
The service to be rendered is exclusively collection of smart ID cards and passports.
![pmo_92295-e16878597_49720](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/126/2023/11/pmo_92295-e16878597_49720.jpg)
The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will open its offices on November 11 for five hours.
This is to allow citizens to collect their IDs and passports ahead of the November 18 and 19 voter registration weekend.
Operating hours are from 08:00 to 13:00.
The service to be rendered is exclusively a collection of smart ID cards and passports.
To ease pressure on its clients, Home Affairs has introduced dedicated counters for collections in large offices that process Smart ID Cards and passports, where space allows. This will help in reducing queues.
In addition, clients can now book collection appointments before visiting offices, using the branch appointment booking system (BABS), which is available on the DHA website through this link.
The department also allows clients who may not have an opportunity to book appointments to visit as walk-ins and will be assisted in collecting their IDs and passports.
ID services will also be available at all Home Affairs offices during the registration weekend.
In this regard, operating hours at Home Affairs offices will be aligned with those of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to assist voters who need to collect IDs or apply for temporary identification certificates. With these documents, eligible voters will be able to register for the 2024 national and provincial elections.
Temporary identification certificates are issued on the spot.
The department is urging all clients who have applied for their identification documents and have been waiting for three weeks or more, to seize this opportunity by visiting their Home Affairs office to collect these critical documents at their convenience on November 11 or on the weekend of November 18 and 19.