To apply for a South African passport inside the country you need a South African identity document or, for a child, a birth certificate, as the South African Government service page states. The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) issues passports. Adult passports are valid for 10 years and child passports for five.
This page also covers the travel rules for children and what changes if you apply from abroad. Check fees and some domestic details against current DHA pages; they are flagged below.
Eligibility and Entry Requirements at a Glance
- You need a South African ID to apply, or a birth certificate for a child.
- An adult passport is valid for 10 years and a child passport for five years. An expired passport is not extended: you apply for a new one.
- Anyone under 18 counts as a child for these rules.
Ask DHA at what age a child’s passport becomes an adult’s.
Passport and Travel Document Requirements
Each destination sets its own passport validity and blank page rules, so check them with the destination’s embassy or your airline. The commonly quoted six months beyond departure is a destination rule, not a South African one; confirm it with the destination’s embassy or your airline.
The rules for children are South African and apply at ports of entry. DHA’s tourist advisory (effective 1 June 2015) says an unabridged birth certificate is required for every child at a South African port of entry, for South Africans and foreigners alike. Where only one parent travels, a recent affidavit from the other parent, or a court order or death certificate, is also needed.
Visa and Supporting Document Requirements
Passports are not visas, and a destination may still ask for a visa. See the guide to visa requirements.
If you apply abroad through a South African mission, the High Commission in Canberra lists:
- Form BI-73 (application).
- Form BI-529 (citizenship status).
- Form DHA-9 (fingerprints, age 16 and older).
- Form DI-47 (loss report, only for lost or stolen passports).
- For applicants under 18: a certified unabridged birth certificate, both parents’ passports and signed consent from both parents.
That is one mission’s list and other offices may differ. Check the domestic photo and document list with DHA.
Financial, Health and Entry Conditions
The last passport fees we could confirm are the ones approved from 1 November 2022, announced in a DHA statement: R600 for an adult 32-page passport, R1,200 for the 48-page (maxi) passport and R600 for a child. Abroad, an adult pays R1,200 (32 pages) or R2,400 (48 pages) and a child R1,200. A fee review may have changed these, so confirm the current fee with DHA before you pay.
How to Prepare or Apply
- Inside South Africa, apply at a Home Affairs office with your ID, or for a child the birth certificate.
- DHA has an online booking system, but only for some offices.
- Abroad, apply at the nearest South African mission. Applications there can take 6 to 12 months to finalise, so do not make firm travel bookings before you have the passport.
- Check with DHA whether banks offer passport services, and otherwise use its official channels.
Find offices and booking details on the DHA website, or abroad via DIRCO.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the passport requirements in South Africa?
A South African ID (or a child’s birth certificate), the DHA application and the passport fee. Adult passports last 10 years and child passports five.
How long must my passport be valid to travel?
It depends on the destination. Check the destination’s rules with its embassy or your airline, because destinations set their own rules.
Can I apply at a bank?
We found no official source for this. DHA’s online booking system covers some Home Affairs offices only, so book through DHA.
What do children need to travel?
An unabridged birth certificate at a South African port of entry, and where only one parent travels a recent affidavit from the other parent, a court order or a death certificate. See the passport section above.
What do I need to apply from abroad?
Forms BI-73, BI-529 and DHA-9 (age 16 and older), plus the parental documents for applicants under 18, and DI-47 for lost or stolen passports. Expect 6 to 12 months.
Can I lose South African citizenship by taking another one?
We did not verify this against the Citizenship Act or DHA, so ask DHA before you take another citizenship.
Confirm all details with the Department of Home Affairs. See visa requirements and browse all travel and immigration requirements.