JAYT Posted April 13, 2019 Report Share Posted April 13, 2019 Hi Everyone, Has anyone recently renewed their passports from Australia, how long did you wait before receiving them from South Africa via Canberra? The website used to say 4 months and changed to 6 - 12 months. 😞 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 The time on their website is accurate. It takes very long to renew passports from here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2forum Posted April 14, 2019 Report Share Posted April 14, 2019 dont bother with the embassy. its quicker to do it from a home affairs office in SA. I got mine in less then 5 working days. a decade ago, it took 7 months via the embassy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAYT Posted April 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 The problem is (and I know we shouldn't have), we booked flights for December. Really didn't think it would take 6 - 12 months and now I'm really worried we won't get our passports in time for our trip. 😞 Can we travel with our Aus passports if we don't get the SA ones back in time? Thanks so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2forum Posted April 15, 2019 Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 18 minutes ago, JAYT said: Can we travel with our Aus passports if we don't get the SA ones back in time? morning. they are getting stricter and stricter on this. if you're a dual national, you have to enter and leave using your SA passport, or risk being turned away or fined. It has happened to some people on this forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAYT Posted April 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 I've read on other posts that people receive a warning the first time they enter with their Aus passport. It's not that we want to do it this way, but if we have no choice.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted April 15, 2019 Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 At the end of the day it is not legal to enter South Africa on an Aussie passport if you retained your citizenship. Quote 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. Yes, some people get away with a warning and that seems to be what they are allowing at the moment. My biggest concern would be if they changed that process suddenly, especially if you're already in South Africa - I'm not sure what the penalties are for this but I definitely wouldn't want to find out on my way back home (Australia). Source: https://www.sahc.org.au/citizenship/Dual_Citizenship.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAYT Posted April 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 We are sending our passport applications off to Canberra on Thursday, I pray we get it back in time. Still 7 months before our trip... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikerdoodle Posted April 15, 2019 Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 As a plan B, if you haven't received your passports about a month before you come, I would try to do an online application and book an appointment at your bank (if you have a suitable SA account). At least that way you could leave SA with an SA passport - they are pretty quick, 1-2 week turnaround time. (But the appointment slots go quickly, and you might only get one 3-4 weeks in the future.) Or if you're willing to sacrifice a day, still an online application, but thereafter visit your "local" home affairs and pay on the day. Should also get your passport in just over a week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdupreez Posted April 15, 2019 Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 I received my passport this week, I had sent the documents to Canberra last year October.... so about 7 months. A colleague got theirs in roughly 6 months... so seems around that time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAYT Posted April 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2019 Thank you everyone, your comments give me hope. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordy Posted April 21, 2019 Report Share Posted April 21, 2019 On 4/15/2019 at 9:58 AM, JAYT said: I've read on other posts that people receive a warning the first time they enter with their Aus passport. It's not that we want to do it this way, but if we have no choice.. On a Facebook group I belong to someone made this post on the 6th April 2019 Quote Hello to all.My wife and i visited South Africa for 2 weeks in March this year. We travelled on our Australian passports. As we entered customs told us that they are giving us a warning about us being SA residents and that we failed to produce a current SA passport.We stayed with family and friend during our stay in SA.Time came to leave SA and this is where everything changed. I managed to go through passport control without any issue at all but my wife was not so lucky.The customs officials immediately proceeded to question her about her residence status and after about 1/2 an hour of questions and harassment they told her to go back. My wife asked them where they wanted her to go, and they gave her the silent treatment. At this point my wife became severely traumatised by the situation and she went back. She however then decided to make another attempt and entered another checkpoint at which the whole process started again, only this time she was interrogated in a room for one hour. She had become emotional and was shaking with fear. At this point, she feared for being locked up in some SA immigration detention jail . After much verbal abuse and victimisation one female customs person decided to stamp her passport saying “let her go she doesn’t live here anyway” The reason for me posting this message Is to warn all of you to ensure that you are well informed about citizen issues when travelling to SA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jordy Posted April 21, 2019 Report Share Posted April 21, 2019 On 4/13/2019 at 3:11 PM, JAYT said: Hi Everyone, Has anyone recently renewed their passports from Australia, how long did you wait before receiving them from South Africa via Canberra? The website used to say 4 months and changed to 6 - 12 months. 😞 Let me tell you our story: We emailed Canberra in September 2017 to get the finger print forms. You have to use originals and cannot download them anywhere. The finger print forms arrived in WA in November 2017. We then made an appointment with the Perth Consulate to have our ink finger prints done. Takes about 3 months to get an appointment. We got an appointment for end January. I cant remember the exact fee but it costs about $160 per person for the appointment. Perth is a 400km return trip for us, so more petrol money. Then you have to give them a self addressed prepaid registered envelope which costs more money. Perth Consulate then keeps your documents and gets them certified and they post them back you. Then you have to post them off to Canberra with another prepaid registered envelope. More money. Why they cant just send them directly to Canberra from I dont know. My mother was gravely ill so I wrote a cover letter begging them to process it as quickly as possible. This was February 2018. Sadly she died in June 2018 and our passports arrived in November 2018. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueBb Posted May 14, 2019 Report Share Posted May 14, 2019 I too have applied for a passport end of Jan- travelling in Oct. Fingers crossed it’s sorted before flying ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knoesil Posted September 16, 2019 Report Share Posted September 16, 2019 Hi All We are also patiently waiting on our passports to arrive (applied end of march 2019). I wanted to ask how easy it was with the return express envelope to get it from Australian post? Did they contact you up front to schedule a time for delivery or did they just randomly pitch up at the address you have on the envelope? Just so I know what to expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozosborne Posted September 17, 2019 Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 Reading through this topic it would seem it is a good idea to just go get new passports now before we leave so that we hav ea few years buffer. Even though mine only expires in 2027 I think, but my one kids expires 2021. On a slightly different topic, what is the story with drivers licenses? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted September 17, 2019 Report Share Posted September 17, 2019 15 hours ago, ozosborne said: what is the story with drivers licenses? If you going to NSW they might request a confirmation letter from the South African traffic department that confirms your license is valid. All the other states you walk in with your 100 points of identity and 15 minutes later the job is done, they will mail you the license card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozosborne Posted September 18, 2019 Report Share Posted September 18, 2019 17 hours ago, ChrisH said: If you going to NSW they might request a confirmation letter from the South African traffic department that confirms your license is valid. All the other states you walk in with your 100 points of identity and 15 minutes later the job is done, they will mail you the license card. Thanks, my SA drivers expires next year December. So I was thinking of maybe just doing a renewal now? But someone was telling me that my SA drivers is just transferred over into an Australian one so I dont need it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisH Posted September 18, 2019 Report Share Posted September 18, 2019 6 hours ago, ozosborne said: Thanks, my SA drivers expires next year December. So I was thinking of maybe just doing a renewal now? But someone was telling me that my SA drivers is just transferred over into an Australian one so I dont need it? Yes once converted you never need it again. When you travel to South Africa you just use your Aussie license Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozosborne Posted September 19, 2019 Report Share Posted September 19, 2019 12 hours ago, ChrisH said: Yes once converted you never need it again. When you travel to South Africa you just use your Aussie license Thank you, nice to take things off the to do list vs adding to the never ending list. Ha ha ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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