Renouncing your South African citizenship

[greggle]

Hi,

 

I'm already a British citizen and will be applying for Aussie citizenship later this year. It follows that I've decided to renounce my South African citizenship (too much of a hassle and expense to keep renewing my SA passport on top of  the others).

One of the requirements of the renunciation process is that, with your application, you need to provide "ORIGINAL South African Passports, Identity Documents, Retention of South African Citizenship certificate (if applicable), South African Naturalization certificate".

 

So my question is, given that the renunciation process can take up to 12 months, what happens if I travel to South Africa in that processing period. I will still theoretically be a South African citizen but will not be able to produce my SA passport on landing or departure.

I also don't have confidence that the airport systems will have any record of my application to rescind and would prefer not to be arrested. Have any of you done this previously?

 

Thanks.

[Nev]

I know of many people who did not send their passorts back, i dont plan to as i may need them in furture with visa application or paperwork where they need previous records.

 

I will just fill in the form, send copies of the docs excluding passports and fire it off.

 

Keep a copy of the application and reciept for the registered letter, if they stop you at RSA passport contol you can show that you have applied to revoke, do not carry the RSA passports when you travel

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by Nev

[DAC]

Any update from others who have either Travelled to SA on an Australian Passport, whilst the Renunciation of SA Citizenship is still underway. @greggle I know it was a few years ago now, but did you have any issue? Anyone else that can add further input?

I was a Naturalised SA Citizen, and my SA Passport expired years ago, I've always travelled on my Australian Passport, and never had an issue. I am planning on a SA Trip in a few months - But I am thinking about renunciation this time around, just to ensure that there is no confusion. Just not sure if it is worth starting the process before the trip

 

[DAC]

@Nev interested to note your comment above about holding onto your old SA Paperwork in case previous records are needed.

 

Loss of SA Citizenship obviously does not free a person from any commitment which existed prior to the loss of Citizenship, and hence one may still need to be able to 'demonstrate' who you were before loosing the Citizenship - And I had to do that a number of years ago as part of undertaking a very Belated Financial Emigration and needing to confirm that I was the owner of a small RA.

I have however never used my old SA Passport or made any claims on SA Citizenship.

Edited April 18, 2023 by DAC

[TeeTMI]

Just adding a link to a recent Supreme Court Ruling

 

A case at the Supreme Court http://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZASCA/2023/97.html  relating to the provision that in South Africa that a person who does not first obtain the Minister of Home Affairs’ permission to retain their citizenship, would automatically lose their South African citizenship when they voluntarily and formally acquire citizenship or nationality of another country.

The Supreme Court of Appeal in South Africa declared that:

• s 6(1)(a) of the South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995 is inconsistent with the Constitution and is invalid from its promulgation on 6 October 1995.
• that those citizens who lost their citizenship by operation of s 6(1)(a) of the South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995 are deemed not to have lost their citizenship.

[Kanniewagnie]

Hello everyone,

I hope that someone who has successfully renounced their South African Citizenship will be able to answer, because I'm very uncomfortable to send my original South African Identity Document with the Renunciation application. I can't help to think that it might be used to commit fraud. Will it be OK to send a certified copy?  Do the certified copy need to be done by South African Consulate, or is certification by the local Police Station acceptable?

 

Thanks.

[Nev]

We sent certified copies, and got a response back that it had been done, so that is fine, also don't send originals as you may need to show previous citizenships sometime in future (You never know what life brings) so keeping the originals is the way to go

[Kanniewagnie]

Thanks Nev, where did you do the certified copies - at the consulate, or your local police station?

[Nev]

Justice of the piece, go ask at your local library, can also do at the pharmacy, but they get grumpy when you ask