Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber has announced a new passport delivery service for South African citizens living abroad.
The initiative, which begins on November 1, will allow citizens to receive their passports via courier directly at their doorstep. Schreiber made the announcement during an event in The Hague, Netherlands, where the Department of Home Affairs also launched a new dedicated service centre. The centre is designed to cut passport processing times from as long as 18 months to just a few weeks.
The new courier service will save applicants from having to make a second trip to collect their passports. Turnaround times will range between 24 and 72 hours, with delivery fees set between US$30 and US$60.
Initially, the service will be available through 18 existing South African service centres around the world, with more locations expected to be added in the coming months.
Schreiber said the rollout would serve as a test phase before extending the doorstep delivery system to citizens in South Africa.
“The initial rollout of this service to South Africans living abroad enables the department to refine and perfect the process in a sandbox environment, before rolling out the option of doorstep delivery to all clients in South Africa as well,” he explained.
He added that once the system is operating smoothly and securely for South Africans abroad, the department will expand it to include local citizens, working alongside banks through a new digital partnership model.
Information about participating service centres is available on the Home Affairs website: www.dha.gov.za.
