Ready, steady, fly

For many, especially students who have just finished matric and have no plans to study this year, travel is an attractive option whether you want a “gap year” or an exciting holiday option.

However, for foreign travel to become a reality, you’ll need a passport or you won’t be leaving the country.

So whether it’s a short trip to see the Vic Falls or a sojourn to Paris you have your heart set on, make sure your documents are in order.

Passports take time to get ready, so if you are planning a trip, make sure you give yourself enough time to get your passport issued.

South African passports and travel documents are printed only in Pretoria, from where they are dispatched to the offices of application.

Applications made in South Africa can be submitted to any office of the Department of Home Affairs, while applications made outside of the country can be submitted to your nearest South African embassy or mission.

“Applicants should note that in terms of section 26(B) of the South African Citizenship Act, 1995, it is a punishable offence for a South African citizen of 18 years and older to leave or enter South Africa on a foreign passport,” says Dirk Janse van Noordwyk from the Nigel branch of Home Affairs.

It is important to know that when you apply for a passport, whether in South Africa or overseas, you must apply in person because the passport officer must be satisfied that your identity is legal and valid, the passport officer must check that your photograph is a true image of yourself; and your fingerprints must be taken for people who are 16 years or older and checked against the National Population Register.

If a family is applying for passports, each family member must fill out a separate form and they must all be present when applying.

If you are over 16 years old, you must present your ID book and if you are under 16 your birth certificate must be provided.

You must have a South African identity number when you apply for a passport.

In the event that you do not have a South African identity number, you must apply for the registration of your birth and for a South African identity document, as the case may be, first.

If you don’t have a valid regular passport and you need to travel urgently, you can apply for a temporary passport or an emergency travel document.

It is important to note that your passport will be issued in accordance with your names as they appear in the National Population Register (NPR) at the time of your application. Any changes to your names must be applied for, finalised and recorded in the NPR before you submit your passport application

“Some countries don’t accept temporary passports or emergency travel documents. You must check this with the relevant authorities of the country you intend to visit before applying for one,” says Janse van Noordwyk.

There is a fee applicable for all travel documents but if the passport is lost, stolen or damaged and is done so through the owner’s negligence, an amount double the normal fee is charged. If the passport has been lost, you must provide a loss of passport report and confirmation that you reported it to the police.

Passports and maxi tourist passports are only issued to SA citizens 16 years or older. These are valid for 10 years.

Passports for people under 16 are only valid for five years.

“Passports cannot be renewed. Once the validity period of a passport expires you will have to submit a new application for a passport,” says Janse van Noordwyk.

Temporary passports are issued to people who urgently need to travel, have applied for a passport and the passport is still being processed.

If you are a South African permanent residence permit holder and you can’t get travel documents from your country of origin, you can apply for a document for travel purposes. This is only valid for five years.

“If you need to urgently travel out of the country for reasons of death, sickness or other emergencies or urgent matters, you can apply for an emergency travel certificate which will only be valid for nine months and only for a single trip,” says Janse van Noordwyk.

To get an emergency travel document you need to adhere to very specific rules on what to submit.

You need to give written motivation for the issuing of it along with any proof of the urgency of the trip such as confirmation of funeral arrangements, or a doctor’s letter confirming sickness, as well as a schedule of your travel arrangements.

Applying for passports: Persons 16 years and older

Tourist and maxi passports are issued to SA citizens who are 16 years and older and are valid for 10 years.

Maxi tourist passports are 48-page documents meant for frequent travellers.

They are the same as regular tourist passports except that they contain more pages for visas.

To apply for the passport, you must submit the following documents:

• A duly completed passport application Form DHA-73.
• Your original identity document and a copy, or a birth certificate and copy thereof if under 16.
• If under 18 years, parental consent for issuing of the passport. Please see Tourist passports: persons under 16 for the requirements.
• Present any existing valid tourist passport or if you have lost your passport or it has been stolen and you are applying for a new passport, you must provide a loss of passport report (DHA-335 ) and confirmation that you reported the loss to the police.
• Two colour photographs that comply with the Passport and ID Photograph Specifications.
• Pay the prescribed fee for the passport.

Applying for Tourist Passports: Persons under 16 years

These passports are issued to SA citizens who are 15 years or younger and are valid for five years.

To apply for the passport you must submit the following documents:

• A duly completed passport application Form DHA-73.
• If the parents are married, the passport application form must be signed by both parents and the child and both parents should be in attendance when the application is submitted. If a parent cannot be in attendance, a letter of consent and copy of ID will no longer be accepted.
• If divorced and sole parental rights and responsibilities in regard to guardianship have not been granted to one parent, the child and both parents should be in attendance when the application is submitted and both must sign the application form.
• If a parent is deceased, his or her death certificate and a copy thereof must accompany the application for the passport.
• In the case of minors born out of wedlock, the biological father’s consent will also be required if any of the circumstances as outlined in section 21 of the Children’s Act, 1995, are applicable, the child and both parents should be in attendance when the application is submitted.
• If the applicant is in the care of a guardian other than the parents, proof of the High Court’s appointment must accompany the application.
• If a parent cannot be located or refuses to consent, or a dispute concerning consent arises, the matter should be referred to the Children’s Court. The Court’s decision must be submitted with the application for the passport.
• The child’s South African birth certificate and a copy thereof.
• Two colour passport photographs that comply with the Passport and ID Photograph Specifications.
• Payment of the prescribed passport fee.