Applying for Citizenship : did you renounce your SA citizenship?

[Riekie]

I wasn't referring to anyone - and certainly not inferring anything towards you, Sunnyskies, or anyone else - it was a generalization based on years of reading people's views on this subject, as I've said if you read my post again.

People are way too sensitive about this (and this is the point I tried to make). Its like choosing sides in a divorce; no matter which side you're on, you'll be judged by the opposite side, and it is very difficult to find that middle ground. And as I've said in my post, people should do what's right for them and not based on other's opinions.

BTW, I renounced my citizenship, took all my money out and will never go back. I've never been a big sports fan but when I do watch a game of anything, I support Australia. I sing the Aussie anthem with pride and I still get emotional when I hear "Die Stem". I love biltong and koeksisters, snags and pavlova, pizza, gozleme & baklava...

Both my kids are marrying Aussies and both their partners love mieliepap, biltong, Mrs Balls and Wilson Toffees. My son's Aussie fiancée makes koeksisters, karringmelk beskuit and dröe wors and my daughter's Aussie boyfriend got himself a Springbok Jersey and support the boks when they play (if not against Australia...) Our grandchildren will one day be as Aussie as they come but will have a life rich in culture - not only Aussie & South African, but will grow up experiencing everything from the many cultures in Australia. They will love their country of birth and they will know where we came from and about our history & family. When they're all grown up and they decide to move to anywhere else, they'll have a balanced & healthy opinion of the world.

[Heymanse]

Dual South African Citizenship

The South African Citizenship Act provides for retention of South African citizenship PRIOR to the acquisition of a foreign citizenship. A condition of attaining dual citizenship for all South African citizens aged 18 years or older is that they must apply and be granted permission to retain their South African citizenship prior to the acquisition of a foreign citizenship.

If a South African citizen does not obtain this prior permission they will automatically lose their South African citizenship on voluntary acquisition of a foreign citizenship.

South African citizens under the age of 18 years are exempt and do not require to apply for dual citizenship, as long as they acquire the foreign citizenship before their 18th birthday. They automatically retain their South African citizenship for life unless, once they have reached the age of 18 years and they then wish to acquire a further foreign citizenship, they will then have to apply for prior permission to retain their South African citizenship. Failing to do so, they will automatically lose their South African citizenship.

Please note that in terms of the South African Citizenship Act it is an offence for a South African citizen with dual citizenship to enter or depart the Republic of South Africa making use of the passport of another country. Once a person has been granted dual citizenship, the holder must always enter and depart South Africa on their valid South African passport.

In essence legislation provides that a South African dual citizen can use his or her foreign passport/citizenship/nationality freely outside South Africa. However, in South Africa, he/she may not use his or her foreign citizenship to gain an advantage or to avoid a responsibility or duty, which he or she as a South African citizen would otherwise have or have not been entitled or subjected to.

NB. It should be mentioned that South African citizens by birth, who automatically lost their South African citizenship, never lose their right to Permanent Residence in South Africa. Should they permanently return to South Africa, they will be able to apply for the resumption of their South African citizenship from within the Country.

Edited November 9, 2012 by Heymanse

[sasher]

HI, Recently I had to do some business with a lawyer here in Sydney. He has a lot of South African clients. We were chatting about giving up the South African citizenship and he said that whatever we decided, we must never get rid of our ID books. Recently he had a client who after living here for many years, and getting Aussie citizenship, tore up his SA passport and ID book thinking he would never need them again. A few years later, an elderly relative, who he had not been much in contact with, passed away in South Africa. Much to his surprise he was a beneficiary in her will. Apparently all he needed to receive the money (which was sizeable) was proof of South African ID, but he no longer had that. The South African executors would not accept his Australian forms of identity and because he was no longer a citizen it was almost impossible to get proof from home affairs. The lawyer said that it had taken over a year to get some valid proof of identity from South Africa. Consequently he tells all his clients, and I am passing it on to you, that even if you never want to look at it again, put your ID book away somewhere safe in case something like this happens. We are busy studying for our test now, best of luck to anyone else writing soon. S (P.S. Sorry for formatting, for some reason I can't leave spaces in this post - the enter key isn't working?)

[Heymanse]

HI, Recently I had to do some business with a lawyer here in Sydney. He has a lot of South African clients. We were chatting about giving up the South African citizenship and he said that whatever we decided, we must never get rid of our ID books. Recently he had a client who after living here for many years, and getting Aussie citizenship, tore up his SA passport and ID book thinking he would never need them again. A few years later, an elderly relative, who he had not been much in contact with, passed away in South Africa. Much to his surprise he was a beneficiary in her will. Apparently all he needed to receive the money (which was sizeable) was proof of South African ID, but he no longer had that. The South African executors would not accept his Australian forms of identity and because he was no longer a citizen it was almost impossible to get proof from home affairs. The lawyer said that it had taken over a year to get some valid proof of identity from South Africa. Consequently he tells all his clients, and I am passing it on to you, that even if you never want to look at it again, put your ID book away somewhere safe in case something like this happens. We are busy studying for our test now, best of luck to anyone else writing soon. S (P.S. Sorry for formatting, for some reason I can't leave spaces in this post - the enter key isn't working?)

If that is the case, we might sit with a bit of a dilemma. After going back to SA for a visit in 2009, my husband lost his ID book. Wouldn't the birth certificate be proof enough? Mmmm, probably not I guess since a birth certificate doesn't have a photo attached to it. Would that mean that we'd have to apply for a new ID book for him (we're still SA citizens because we haven't been invited to do the Australian ceremony yet (hoping for January 2013) so it shouldn't pose a problem but I wouldn't want to go and apply for something and fork out money for it if it wasn't absolutely 100% necessary.

[Mara]

Heymanse, surely you have your South African passports, they should suffice.

[Heymanse]

That's true Hopefully it wouldn't matter if the passport expires?

[Mara]

I am with Riekie on this one, we also dropped our RSA citizenship when we became New Zealanders, but retained our NZ citizenship when we became Australians. I like to think I now have the best of both worlds. I did not drop my RSA citizenship for any other reason except the fact that I saw absolutely no point in retaining it. I could travel to RSA on either of the passports that I now hold and I had absolutely no intention whatsoever of ever living in RSA again. I also liked the idea of having access to either of my two "new" countries for assistance, should something happen whilst I was in RSA on one of my passports.

[dazzmatazz]

Any one know about traveling to SA if you are on an OZ PP and then wanting to pop across to Mozambique? As mentioned in this forum, you get 90 days visit stamped into your PP if you no longer have SA citizenship.

I love going to Mozambique and intend to come back to SA (not that i have even left yet) and also traveling to Moz, so was wandering about that Visa process if any?

I do however intend on keeping my citizenship and thus keeping my PP up to date.

[Andrea]

We have been australian citizens since 2008. Our boys were all under 18 at the time. Two of them are now over 18. We never applied for dual citizenship and none of the kids are interested in retaining their SA citizenship. We are all visiting SA in August for the 1st time in 10 years, and we all hold australian passports. After reading the posts above, i am thinking the boys will need sa passports to enter and leave sa?? is that correct? We specifically let our SA citizenship fall away so that we would have the support of the Australian embassy if we were ever in SA again, now I am concerned that our boys won't have access to this privilege. Sorry - rambling, i know. Is there anyway for my kids to renounce their SA citizenship?

[OubaasDik]

Andrea,

Phone the High Commission in Canberra and find out - they're fairly on-the-ball.

[21yearsoutofrsa]

Andrea,

Phone the High Commission in Canberra and find out - they're fairly on-the-ball.

They're going to love that as a question!!!!

A quick google search came up with the relevent part of the embassy site.

[Heymanse]

We have been australian citizens since 2008. Our boys were all under 18 at the time. Two of them are now over 18. We never applied for dual citizenship and none of the kids are interested in retaining their SA citizenship. We are all visiting SA in August for the 1st time in 10 years, and we all hold australian passports. After reading the posts above, i am thinking the boys will need sa passports to enter and leave sa?? is that correct? We specifically let our SA citizenship fall away so that we would have the support of the Australian embassy if we were ever in SA again, now I am concerned that our boys won't have access to this privilege. Sorry - rambling, i know. Is there anyway for my kids to renounce their SA citizenship?

I think people are really confusing the whole issue (for me that is). So much so that I've now asked expats who has been there and done it before. An expat working with me never renounced their South African citizenship, never notified the SA High Commission that they will not be applying for dual citizenship. They became Australian citizens a couple of years ago when her boys were still very young. They are both over 18 now. They have travelled to and from South Africa many times after becoming Australian citizens and travelled only with their Australian passports (have never after becoming Australian citizens renewed their South African passports - what would be the point as they are then indeed now Australian citizens).

Hopefully this will be clear enough for everyone because I for one was getting quite concerned about not notifying the SA High Commission of our intention to renounce our SA citizenship.