Are you planning a whirlwind trip to a new and exciting location? Before you go in search of cheap flights, you’ll want to check whether or not your passport is still valid and, if not, enter into the process of having it renewed. Fear not – it doesn’t have to be the long-winded, frustrating and unpleasant event that you’re expecting it to be.
We have some helpful tips to share with you that will make your SA passport renewal experience smooth and effortless.
Know When It’s Necessary
Yes, you have a passport expiration date to go on; however, did you know that the vast majority of countries will require you to have at least 6 months of availability remaining on your passport beyond the date of your departure? Because of this, it pays to get your new passport sorted well in advance of the expiration date of your already-existing one.
Know What You Need
The good news is that renewing a passport is relatively straightforward in that you’ll only need 3 things to get it done.
- your ID
- your old passport
- the passport renewal fee, which is currently R400 as @ February 2018 (please note that this amount tends to change quite often, so double check on the new fee before making any payments or heading off to Home Affairs).
Know Your Options
Are you aware that standing in a long, seemingly never-ending queue at your local Home Affairs is just one option that is available to you at the moment – and, let’s face it, who in their right mind would do that when there’s a much faster, hassle-free approach to take instead?
If you belong to one of the Home Affairs enabled banks and have internet banking you are now able to submit your application online and make a booking to renew your passport at the bank.
NB: Unfortunately, this option is only available to Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town residents for the time being, however, you can still submit your application and payment online before visiting your Home Affairs branch to capture your biometrics.
Know Where to Go
Not all banks are equipped to handle SA passport renewals, so it’s important to know which branches are. At the time of writing this, the following Home Affairs biometrics-equipped banks support the capture of your biometrics:
- ABSA and FNB Centurion Lifestyle
- ABSA Tower North
- ABSA Ghandi Square
- FNB President Street West
- FNB Merchant Place, Rivonia
- FNB Lynwood in Grove Mall
- Standard Bank Centurion
- Standard Bank Killarney
- Standard Bank Canal Walk
- Nedbank Sandown
- Nedbank Lakeview, Roodepoort
Currently there are no Capitec or African Bank biometric-equipped facilities in existence, although new facilities are being rolled out all the time.
Know the Process
Now that you know the who, the what and the where, and you are registered for internet banking, let’s discuss the how…
- To begin the process, you will need to register via the eHome Affairs website –capture your details, create a password and answer several security questions, before logging in with your one time PIN.
- Submit your application by selecting “submit to home affairs” and upload a copy of the necessary supporting documents (you will need the originals at the branch office).
- You will then need to enter your banking details and log into your internet banking to make and authorise the payment of R400 – verification may take a few minutes a more.
- Once the payment has been made, you will see an option to proceed with the digital capturing of your biometrics (a photo, two thumbprints and your signature), either at a Home Affairs office or at the bank of your choice (as listed above). If you opt to do it all via the bank, you are invited to schedule an appointment for a day and time that is convenient for you. Once at the bank, you can expect the entire process to take approximately 15 minutes.
- Be sure to print out your application for proof of submission and payment and take it with you to your appointment at the bank or to the Home Affairs Office.
- An SMS will be sent to you within a few weeks advising that your new passport is ready to be collected. Again, you can choose to fetch it from Home Affairs or the bank.
Times will vary if you choose to go to your nearest Home Affairs offices. The good news is, if you have registered and paid online, you will be allowed to stand in a different (usually much shorter) queue.
Anything Else?
Absolutely! Our final tip for you is to consider getting your smart ID done at the same time that you renew your SA passport. This is because the biometrics data needed to do this is almost exactly the same – so you’ll be able to kill two (often time consuming) birds with one stone.
Oh, and one last thing to keep in mind: remember that a naturalised citizen (i.e. a person who was not born in South Africa, but who now has a South African passport) is not yet able to renew his or her passport through the bank. In this instance, you will need to go to Home Affairs in order to complete the renewal process.
Now that you have the passport renewal in hand, it’s time to book those cheap flight tickets on one of the many leading SA-Airlines. Fortunately, you can do so effortlessly and online. We make it possible for you to compare the best prices from some of the most respected SA airlines including SAA, FlyMango, SA Express and Kulula. Happy travels