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South Africans in Germany

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Questions and Answers

You can use the “ask the consul” page to submit questions to the Consulate Here are some of the questions and answers we received so far Note from the consulate: Due to COVID, when your new passport arrives at the Consulate, you will receive notification before postage. It is therefore important to inform the Consulate of any address change if you have applied for a passport.
QuestionAnswer
If one applies for a new SA passport but it has not been issued or arrived on time till departure to SA what are the consequences on the SA side? Can you show them you have applied for the new SA passport but not received yet?Traveling with an expired passport is not allowed. So it will not be possible to depart with an expired document. The only option is to get an emergency travel document (for real emergencies, with an appointment confirmed) for entry into ZA, but to come back to Germany, one will still need a valid passport. We encourage everyone to apply for passports well on time (months before they expire) especially now with COVID as services everywhere are affected.
Once one gives up their SA citizenship we get permanent residency status. What does this mean in terms of our rights? Do we have to apply for the new ID? Can we do this at the Munich Consulate? Can we enter into SA with this permanent resident status?When one receives the renunciation confirmation letter, it comes with an ID number on it. Then one can apply for an ID at the Consulate. They do not need a visa to enter ZA for 90 days, anything more is applied for as per guidelines on the website
When are Citizen services offered in the same timely manner as at home affairs offices in South Africa. Technology should now be implemented at embassies and consulates abroad without the need to wait months for the reissue of passports! Waiting time for a passport in South Africa 1 week – via consular services abroad between 10 to 12 months!The comment is noted. While this can be frustrating, kindly note that we use systems made available to us in missions aboard. Services in missions abroad do have the same waiting times as the ones in ZA (on site) because there are processes and procedures we first follow internally before sending applications to ZA at specific periods for their processing
I am a naturalised German citizen and have been issued with a permanent resident ID number during the renunciation process.
How do I approach it formally if I want to “return” to SA based on my permanent residency?
– do I have to apply for a SA Id document with the new ID number before travelling to SA on my German passport?
– can I enter SA on my German passport and apply for an ID document based on the “permanent resident ID number” that I have been assigned in SA directly (from an Home Affairs office in SA)
– if I need a permanent resident permit (visa sticker) can I have this permanent resident permit issued into my German passport from within SA or must I have it issued by the consulate up front?
What is the correct process to follow here?
Kindly note that when you travel, you need both the permanent resident permit and a valid German passport. We don’t issue any stickers at all.

You can apply for an ID at the Consulate or in South Africa. The information about the ID application is available on the website.
How long is the turn around time for long stay Visas for German citizens at the moment? Myself and my girlfriend are looking at having her move and work in South Africa and we want to know the turn around time at the moment so we can plan accordinglyThe turnaround times for long stay visas is up to 8 weeks.

This information is also available on our website.
Some questions around the diplomatic bag:
– how often is a diplomatic bag sent from Munich to South Africa
– I understand that the diplomatic bag from Munich first goes to the embassy in Berlin and is then sent onwards to SA
– how is the diplomatic bag processed in SA once it arrives (maybe this helps us understand why it takes so long?)
– why does the diplomatic bag take so long to reach SA (and get back to Germany)
– is there a faster way to handle my applications than via the diplomatic bag (direct courier for example)
– why does it take so long for Munich to get its diplomatic bag from Berlin on the “return route”? (Friends of mine in Berlin received their documents nearly 14 days before me here in Munich after being sent at the same time from SA, in the same diplomatic bag as far as I could tell)
Many thanks for the transparency to help us understand better the processes (and hopefully irritate you less with dumb follow up enquiries since we can better judge the time the process takes in this way)
The Consulate appreciates all questions sent to us and understand that sometimes, the processing times can be slow or longer for various reasons. We do understand that this can be frustrating. We send our sincere apologies in this regard.

While we understand that the questions come from a good place, we are however unable to answer the questions about the diplomatic bag, its handling and the processes involved due to the safety, security and protection of the many contents it carries which incl personal documents belonging to the people. We deal with the diplomatic bag very cautiously; follow and respect the strict processes involved to protect it.
I am moving to Germany from the US in October and will need to renew my passport next year as it expires in July 2023. I want my passport to be done in my married name, I have a US marriage certificate therefore it’s in English, do I need to have it apostilled? The Embassy in the US doesn’t mention anything about it being apostilled but the embassy in Germany does. I look forward forward to your response It is always better to ensure that the document is issued with an apostille by the issuing authorities. This makes things easier and you’re on the safe side in case it is needed apostilled.

Please make sure that you start the process of renewing the passport 6 months or more before it expires.
I would like to register my sons birth but one of the forms I can only get when my husband and I appear in person at the embassy for the birth registration appointment. We live in Berlin and are unable to get an appointment. What does the consulate recommend for birth registrations?
Thank you for your help.
Our recommendation is that people must continue to try and scheduled an appointment. Going to the Embassy or Consulate without an appointment is not allowed currently due to COVID. So show ups are not permitted.

The truth is appointments get booked fast. For instance, the Consulate is currently sitting with appointments of up to Oct 2021 as we speak. So it is busy and that’s why we encourage people to schedule appointments and avoid disappointments of just showing up and not being allowed in or assisted. Where an appointment is not immediately available, an automated response is sent to sender and once the next available appointment slot is open, those who sent their appointment request emails are contacted/receive a message. Obviously, real cases of emergencies are dealt with differently.

We always advise that:

For CIVIC:

Schedule an appointment, no show ups allowed due to COVID.

For VISA:
Post your application first and wait for the Consulate to contact you (we don’t confirm receipts of applications due to the heavy load of applications we receive. If the right process if followed when using the Post Office, the Consulate will receive the application).
Question regarding citizenship of minors if parent renounces RSA citizenship: minors with dual citizenship, born in South Africa to a South African mother and German father. If the South African parent renounces RSA citizenship, do the minors also lose their RSA citizenship? If yes, do the minors also receive a new ID Number with permanent residency in SA? Regarding the enquiry, since you refer the children as minors, they are below 18 years and will therefore automatically lose their citizenship too as no other parent will be South African. However, they have the same rights ie: ID number with permanent residency in ZA.
How do I go about applying for his new passport if both parents cannot be present in Germany It is important to know where the family is residing in Germany. This will help as an email for the relevant mission (Berlin or Munich)or official will be needed in ZA.

The father, who is in ZA, will need to go to Home Affairs offices in ZA for this application or proper process to follow for renewing the passport. The HA official who will be assisting will require the email address of the relevant mission this side to send and process further documents. I hope this helps