Home Affairs delivers dignity to South Africans abroad

 The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Schreiber, is proud to announce the rollout of game-changing new Home Affairs service centres abroad that will deliver dignity to South Africans living overseas – who have often waited 12 to 18 months just to obtain a new passport. 

Through the opening of these new service centres, access is being expanded and turnaround times have been cut to just five weeks. Minister Schreiber launched the first two service centres in Australia this week, in Sydney and Melbourne, with another set to open in Perth by the end of September. Two centres also went live this week in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand. 

This is in addition to the service centre in London, UK, which is already operational. Over the coming months, the Department of Home Affairs will open additional service centres in the United Arab Emirates and China, followed by France, Germany and The Netherlands later this year, and North America in the new year. 

Further announcements will follow in due course when these service centres open their doors. While the Department’s ultimate aim is to deliver Home Affairs @ home by making our services available online all around the world, the opening of service centres around the world brings immediate relief to South African citizens living in other countries. 

The new service centres abroad will offer:

• Application intake and processing for adult and minor passports, both for new passports and renewals, ending the need to travel or wait indefinitely for consular appointments;
• Birth registration applications;
• A new online appointment booking system that brings predictability, structure, and transparency to planning, while also accommodating walk-ins;
• Email support and SMS-based application tracking so that clients are kept informed every step of the way;
• Opening hours from Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 12:00, and 13:00 to 17:00; and
• Most important of all, the services offered will have a five-week turnaround time, compared to the current turnaround time that can take between 12 and 18 months. 

The Department is also working to upgrade the eHomeAffairs live capture platform, which will enable these centres to also offer Smart ID services and eliminate the use of paper forms. An announcement will be made in due course once this upgrade is complete. Minister Schreiber said: “The rollout of these service centres is yet another step on our journey towards delivering Home Affairs @ home. Home Affairs is now closer than ever before for South Africans living abroad. 

These improvements are not just about better service, they are about delivering dignity to South Africans – wherever they live in the world.” Minister Schreiber added: “Home Affairs is now delivering for South Africans – including those living abroad – like never before. In just twelve months under the Government of National Unity, Home Affairs is making rapid and sustained progress to resolve long-standing challenges that affect South Africans everywhere.”

Bookings to use the newly-opened facilities in Australia can be made here: https://services.vfsglobal.com/aus/en/zap/attend-centre Bookings to use the newly-opened facilities in New Zealand can be made here: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/nzl/en/zaf/attend-centre

For media enquiries, please contact: 
Duwayne Esau 
Spokesperson for the Minister 
Cell:  077 606 9702

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