JOHANNESBURG – South Africans living overseas, including those with cross-border family ties to Eswatini, will now wait only five weeks for passports following changes announced by the South African Department of Home Affairs.
The country’s Home Affairs Minister, Dr Leon Schreiber, made the announcement on Friday, confirming that new international service centres had officially opened in several countries to ease long-standing delays. Previously, applicants outside South Africa would wait up to 18 months for their documents.
The first two centres started operating this week in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, with a third set to open in Perth by the end of September. Two more offices have also been launched in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand, joining an existing facility in London.
Home Affairs said more centres would follow in the United Arab Emirates, China, France, Germany and the Netherlands before the end of the year. North America is expected to be added early in 2026.
The centres are offering full passport services for both adults and children, as well as birth registrations, reducing the need for South Africans to travel home or face delays at embassies. Applicants can book appointments online, with a walk-in option still available. Application progress can also be tracked via SMS and email.
The centres operate from Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm, with a lunch break between 12pm and 1pm. Home Affairs also plans to introduce Smart ID services once its digital system upgrades are completed.
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