South Africa: Civics Services Expansion for Citizens Abroad Facilitates Processes

Update July 18, 2025: The Department of Home Affairs opened the first of two centers in Sydney on July 16, 2025, and will open the second center in Melbourne on July 18, 2025.

July 9, 2025: The Minister of Home Affairs announced that by the end of July 2025, the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) will open dedicated facilities abroad to serve South Africans living and working overseas, with the first centers established in Australia, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. Subsequently, centers are expected to open in France, Germany and the Netherlands in 2025 and then in North America in 2026. The centers aim to provide faster and more efficient services, including a five-week turnaround time for identification cards and passports, compared to the current processing time of three to six months. Additionally, citizens will also be able to apply for identification cards and passport services online through a digital identification system that will be introduced as part of the DHA’s ongoing digitization efforts. However, physical presence will still be required for certain steps, such as biometrics—one of the key services these new centers will support. These centers will provide a local presence for South Africans abroad to complete these steps without needing to return to South Africa or rely on limited embassy services.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].