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South African Passport and ID's

Make an  regular effort to check the validity of your South African passport.
Applying for your SA passport in Germany, and receiving it can take anything between 6 to 12 months. 
You can apply for a new passport while on holiday in South Africa, the current (2023) turnaround time is around 2 weeks

My SA Passport is stolen or lost

One of the worst things that can happen to you while in a foreign country is having your passport stolen or lost. Germany has a “Passpflicht”

My SA passport has expired

It is important to apply for your new passport well in advance, at least a year before the expiry date.Germany has a “Passpflicht” law. (1)

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SA Consular and Embassy services

The Embassy is in Berlin.Physical Address:Tiergartenstr. 18, 10785 Berlinberlin.consular@dirco.gov.zaTel.: +49-30-22073-0Fax: +49-30-22073-190Facebook page Consulate  in MunichPhysical Address:Sendlinger-Tor-Platz 5,80336 Munich,Germanymunich.consular@dirco.gov.za+49 89 2311630 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Currently the

Ways of obtaining German citizenship

Please note: Although the information on this website has been prepared with the utmost care, we cannot accept any responsibility for inaccuracies contained herein. Always

Applying for official documents from the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa has become a whole lot easier. 

Apply online

You can apply for your Smart ID or Passport online via the eHomeAffairs website. You will still need to do your biometrics in person at a Home affairs office or participating bank. You can select the office or bank during your application. You do not have to be a customer of the selected bank.
 Read a personal account of applying for a passport online for more information and tips.

Booking an appointment for applying at a department office

If you do not want to submit your application online, you can now make an appointment at Home Affairs via the Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS).
Not all branches are participating in the online booking system. You can find a list of participating offices here

New branches at shopping malls

The department plans to open branches at selected shopping malls. This will, according to the Deputy minister, help alliviate the problem of queuing in the sun or rain. It is not clear if the full range will be available at these branches.
The following malls are on the list and the expectation is that they will be operational in September 2022:

  • Tygervalley mall (Cape Town)
  • Menlyn mall (Pretoria) – Pilot
  • Cresta Mall (Johannesburg)
  • Southgate Mall (Johannesburg)
  • The Pavillion (eThewkwini)

Resources on the web

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Questions for the Consulate

26/06/2021 No Comments

The South African Consulate in Munich offers citizen services to South Africans living in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The form below can be used to contact

Read More »

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One of the worst things that can happen to you while in a foreign country is having your passport stolen or lost. 
Germany has a “Passpflicht” law –  which means Foreigners may only enter or stay in the federal territory if they have a recognized and valid passport or passport substitute unless they are exempted from the passport requirement by statutory order.

For the stay in the federal territory, they also fulfill the passport requirement by possessing a substitute ID (Section 48 (2)). 
This means you have to report a stolen or lost passport to the authorities and apply for a new passport as soon as you can.

You have to apply for a new passport at either the South African Embassy in Berlin or the Consulate in Munich, depending on where you live. See our page about applying in Germany.
Please also refer to the official information on the Consulate’s website.

Advice – make secure electronic copies of all your travel and identification documents.

Information from DIRCO

According to the department of international relations and cooperation – DIRCO

If your passport is lost or stolen while you are traveling abroad, report the loss/theft immediately to the local law enforcement agency (e.g. police station). Take a copy of the police report to the nearest South African High Commission, Embassy, or Consulate-General where you will apply for an emergency travel document. There is a fee attached to the application for an emergency travel document.

Please note that all passport applications are forwarded to the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa for processing and issuance of new passports. The waiting period to receive a new passport abroad can be several months. In emergency situations, the South African Diplomatic or Consular Mission is in a position to issue you with an Emergency Travel Certificate, which will allow you only to travel directly back to South Africa.

To apply for a new Passport or an Emergency Travel Certificate, you must:

  1. Complete an application form.
  2. Be fingerprinted.
  3. Produce written evidence of your South African citizenship (e.g. a birth certificate, identity document, a certified copy of passport, driver’s license). Where available.
  4. Provide a copy of the police report. (in the event of loss or theft)
  5. Present two photographs.
  6. Pay the prescribed fee (as determined by the Department of Home Affairs).

I need to travel, what do I need to do?

These instructions relate only to those who need to travel urgently but whose passport is lost or stolen. If you have no urgent reason to travel, you must apply for your new passport in Germany. This can take a couple of months. 
For normal applications (Passport expiring)  see the following pages:

Step 1. – Report it 

  • Report the loss/theft immediately to the local law enforcement agency (e.g. police station).
  • Take a copy of the police report to the nearest South African High Commission, Embassy, or Consulate-General when you apply for an emergency travel document.

There is a fee attached to the application for an emergency travel document. See more on the DIRCO website

Step 2. – Apply for an emergency passport
You can apply for an emergency passport (Travel certificate), and with this, you can travel to South Africa but cannot travel back to Germany.

  • South African citizens who have to travel urgently for reasons of death, sickness, or other emergency / urgent matter e.g. loss or theft of passport while overseas, are entitled to an emergency passport (travel certificate), which is valid for a maximum period of nine (9) months,
  • The emergency travel certificate is for a single journey only, to return to the Republic of South Africa
  • An emergency passport (travel certificate) can only be issued to applicants who have 13-digit identity numbers and whose fingerprints have been previously classified on the National Population Register.

Step 3. Inform the Ausländerbehorde (not a requirement but a suggestion)

  • Visit the Ausländerbehorde, and inform them that your passport was stolen and that you have a new emergency passport that you will use to travel to South Africa to apply for a new passport. Remember your residence card is linked to your passport.
  • Confirm with them that re-entry to Germany is possible, and whether additional documentation will be required for re-entry

Relevant Gesetze §3, §4 and §13 AufenthG Art 5″

Step 4.

  • Travel to South Africa and apply for a new passport in South Africa, see more about applying for your passport in South Africa here.
  • Take your Emergency passport, a copy of the police report, your residence permit, and any other documentation the Ausländerbehorde listed as necessary with you on your trip.

Step 5. Travel back to Germany

  • You will have to show your German residence card in South Africa before you can board a plane. 
  • You might have additional checks at Passport control when arriving in Germany, so make sure all your paperwork is in order. Remember your residence card is linked to a specific passport. 
    I would take a copy of the police report (if passport was lost or stolen) with me. It might also be a good idea to take proof of your residence. 

Dual Passports

Please be aware that it is illegal to enter and exit South Africa on another passport if you are still a South African citizen. You can be fined for doing this.

“In terms of the South African Citizenship Amendment Act of 2004, which came into effect on 15 September 2004, it is now an offence for a major South African citizen to enter the Republic or depart making use of the passport of another country.
Furthermore, it is also now an offence for such a citizen, while in South Africa, to use his or her foreign citizenship or nationality to gain advantage or avoid a responsibility or duty.
Essentially, the Amendment Act provides that an adult South African citizen, who has dual citizenship or nationality, can freely use his or her foreign passport outside South Africa. However, they must use their South African passport to depart from or enter South Africa.”

You can read more about it here

Additional information

General information about South African passports is available on the website of the Department of Home Affairs:

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SA Consular and Embassy services

The Embassy is in Berlin.Physical Address:Tiergartenstr. 18, 10785 Berlinberlin.consular@dirco.gov.zaTel.: +49-30-22073-0Fax: +49-30-22073-190Facebook page Consulate  in MunichPhysical Address:Sendlinger-Tor-Platz 5,80336 Munich,Germanymunich.consular@dirco.gov.za+49 89 2311630 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Currently the

When you apply for your new South African passport in Germany, you have to apply at either the South African Embassy in Berlin or the Consulate in Munich, depending on where you live. 

Official information can be found on the Consulate’s website. The Embassy has taken great care to document all the relevant information, that can be downloaded from their website. 

After submitting your application, the documents are sent to South Africa for processing. The new passport is then sent back to Germany. Once the passport arrives at the South African Embassy or Consulate it would be mailed to the applicant in the self-addressed envelope provided, or the applicants would be duly notified. In the case of passport applications, the applicant would be requested to return his or her current valid tourist passport for cancellation; cancelled passports would thereafter be returned to applicants together with their new passport.
Apply for your new passport at least a year before the expiry date. The embassy or consulate cannot influence the processing time. Take into account that appointment openings fill up very quickly and your application appointment can be a month or two after you sent an appointment request.

Booking your appointment

All South African citizens / applicants requiring civic services, and who reside in Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thüringen shall approach the South African Embassy in Berlin: Tiergartenstr. 18, 10785 Berlin
All South African citizens/applicants requiring civic services, and who reside in Bayern and Baden-Wuerttemberg shall approach the South African Consulate-General in Munich: Sendlinger-Tor-Platz 5, 80336 Munich 

To schedule an appointment at the Munich Consulate, please send an email with the information below to: Munich.CivicApp@dirco.gov.za

To schedule an appointment at the Embassy in Berlin, please send an email with the information below to berlin.consular@dirco.gov.za 

Email Format

  1. Subject line of email: Appointment request
  2. Full name of the applicant
  3. Applicant’s date and place of birth
  4. South African 13-digit identity number, if applicable/available
  5. Contact details (Address + mobile phone number)
  6. Application type e.g. passport

You will get an email from the embassy to confirm receipt of your request for an appointment. They will then manually schedule an appointment and send you a second email with your appointment date. Check your email spam folder as the reply email from the embassy might end up there.

Checklist of what documentation you need

  • The most up-to-date information is always available on the Embassy website, here is the link for an Adult passport (over 16 years of age).

Please note that you need to take your current passport with you, as well as copies (See links above). Your current passport will be returned to you. The following statement is on the application checklist.

  • The applicant’s original passport must be submitted regardless of whether the current passport is full or expired or the applicant’s forename and/or surname has been amended – the original passport will be given back to the applicant
  • The applicant may continue to use her or his current passport during the processing of the new passport.

Child passports

  • The list for a child passport can be found here. Information about who should be present and sign the application is available on the  Department of Home Affairs website.  As a rule, the child and both parents should be in attendance when the application is submitted.  They don’t accept a power of attorney. More information on the link above.
  • You cannot renew a passport, only apply for a new one

Good to know

Important Info

Here are some important things to remember in order to make the process of applying for your passport as smooth and stress-free as possible.

01

Confirmation Email

As mentioned above you will get a confirmation email that your email to the Embassy or Consulate was received.

02

SPAM

Check your email spam folder for emails from the Embassy or Consulate

03

Have some patience

Allocating appointments is a manual process. You will get an email with your appointment date as soon as it is allocated to you.

04

thoughfullness

Inform the Embassy or Consulate if you cannot make your appointment so that they can allocate it to someone else. 
Inform them of any change of address.

05

Come prepared

Make sure you have all the documentation required for your passport application.

06

Plan ahead

Last but not least, apply for an appointment well in advance, do not wait until your passport has expired. South African citizens are entitled to hold two tourist passports concurrently. Persons wishing to apply for a second passport must provide a written motivation.

German residence permit linked to old passport

I found information with regards to traveling with a new passport, while your residence permit is linked to your old passport, on the Berlin website:
 
“Re-entry to Germany is easy if your residence permit is still valid and you still have the old passport.

Take your old and new passports and your residence permit with you on your trip.
However, we recommend that you enquire about the entry and exit conditions of the country you are visiting before you travel abroad (for example at the embassy of the country you are visiting)

Legal basis –  Gesetze §3, §4 and §13 AufenthG Art 5

References

Related content

My SA Passport is stolen or lost

One of the worst things that can happen to you while in a foreign country is having your passport stolen or lost. Germany has a “Passpflicht”

My SA passport has expired

It is important to apply for your new passport well in advance, at least a year before the expiry date.Germany has a “Passpflicht” law. (1)