How to renew your South African passport

You’ve made the bold move of turning your travel dreams into reality!

You could be planning to jet off to Thailand with friends, a romantic getaway to Mauritius, or making huge career moves by landing that dream job in Dubai. What an exciting feeling it is to finally fly to the destination you’ve always dreamed of.

But wait, you’ve just realised your passport has expired and you’re in need of a South African passport renewal. Suddenly, your excitement for island hopping or shopping in world-class malls is taken over by the all-too-familiar Home Affairs queues and (quite literally) having to get your affairs in order.

Well, you’ll be delighted to know that the angst of waiting in long queues at Home Affairs can be avoided!

South African citizens can apply via the eHomeAffairs website.

Please note, you will need Internet banking to proceed with your online passport application. Applicants will have to go to a Home Affairs branch to capture their biometrics and collect their passport. Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria residents also have the option of recording their biometrics and collecting their renewed passport at specific Absa, FNB, Standard Bank or Nedbank branches.

Follow these easy steps for applying for a South African passport renewal, and you’ll be booking your ticket to your dream destination in no time!

When to apply for your South African passport renewal?

Most countries require that travellers have at least six months availability on their passport beyond the date of departure. Therefore, you are advised to renew your passport before it expires within the time frame of your travels.

Passport costs

South African passport renewal requirements

• A copy of your ID
• Passport fee of R400
• Your old passport

How to apply online

1. Account registration

• Go to the eHomeAffairs website and register
• Create a profile
• Answer the security questions
• Create a password
• Capture the OTP (one-time pin) sent to your cell phone
• Finally, attach a copy of your ID

2. Making the payment

• Enter your bank account details on the eHomeAffairs site
• Log in to your Internet banking to authorise the payment
• Log in to your Internet banking account: go to the “My Bills” option under “Payments” to initiate the payment instruction
• Add the Department of Home Affairs as a beneficiary, and a payment instruction will appear under “My Bills”
• Finally, enter your reference number and approve the R400 payment to the Department of Home Affairs

3. Record your biometrics

Option 1: Home Affairs branch

• Once the Department of Home Affairs has registered your payment you will be eligible to proceed with your biometrics data – two thumbprints, a photo and your signature
• You do not need to make an appointment at Home Affairs. Simply go to your local branch to have your biometrics done
• You will need to take your ID book with you to the Home Affairs branch

Option 2: Home Affairs equipped bank branch

• Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria residents can make an appointment for their biometrics at their local bank branch once their payment has been registered
• You will be given a choice of time slots. Once you’ve selected a time slot, you will be sent a confirmation via SMS and email
• You will need to take your ID book and confirmation email or SMS with you when going to your local bank branch.

4. Wait for an SMS or email

You will receive a notification that your passport is ready for collection at the Home Affairs or bank branch where your biometrics were captured, after approximately 10 days.

With eHomeAffairs services available, your South African passport renewal process should prove to be a simple and easy task to do before booking your flight to your dream destination.

All information on this blog page was correct at the time of publishing and may change at any time without prior notice from the original source. Travelstart is not affiliated to immigration authorities or their application centres and will not be liable for loss or inconvenience arising from the use of information from this website.

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