A passport is a document issued by a national government for international travel and it certifies the identity and nationality of the holder. 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 the Republic of South Africa on a foreign passport. South African passports and travel documents are issued in terms of the South African Passports and Travel Documents Act, 1994, and the related Regulations.

South African passports are printed only in Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, from where they are dispatched to the offices of application. It is important to know that when you apply for a passport, whether in RSA 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 aged 16 years or older) and checked against the National Population Register (NPR).

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. Husband, wife and children must all complete separate application forms. Both parents and the children concerned must be present when applying for passports for children.

South African passports cannot be renewed. Once the validity period of a passport expires you will have to submit a new application for a passport. Please see the types of South African passports:

[NOTICE] The Department of Home Affairs no longer issues temporary passports as from 1 September 2014. Only emergency travel certificates (ETC) will be issued to an applicant under circumstances of emergency travel purposes. Please refer to the link: http://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/notices/719-discontinuation-of-temporary-passports

Appointment bookings are required for all the visitors to the South African Embassy in Seoul. Walk-in services are NOT available. If the applicant is under 18 years of age, both of his/her parents shall also be present to the Embassy and sign the forms.

Civic applications must be submitted in person, by each applicant, to the South African Embassy in Seoul. Firstly, please print out the check-list (DOWNLOAD) and prepare all the requirements accordingly. Applicants are requested to submit the complete application WITH this check-list marked and completed by hand. It is also suggested to read and study the specimen forms (BI-73 & BI-529 & DHA-9 & BI-335E) before you visit the Embassy. You will be given these forms in ORIGINAL that day. All the forms must be completed in black ink and block letters at the Embassy.

Incomplete applications will NOT be accepted by our officials. Applicants are responsible for preparing all the required information and documentation as advised on the check-list. Should you have any queries regarding your application or require further assistance and advice on your document(s), please contact us before you lodge the application with us: consular.seoul@dirco.gov.za

If your application is ready to be submitted to the Embassy, please send an e-mail (consular.seoul@dirco.gov.za) for appointment bookings. Write your full names, contact number, and type of your application(s). We’ll send you a booking confirmation by e-mail. Please check the date & time of your appointment(s) in our e-mail message. For your information, the appointment time will be scheduled during consular hours: 9am-12pm, from Monday to Friday.

NP:NP: Please note that only those who have an appointment confirmed by e-mail are admitted to the chancery building. If you are late for more than 15 minutes of your appointment time, it will be automatically cancelled. If you cannot attend your appointment, please cancel it in time, so that it can be reallocated to someone else.If you do not comply with the requirements, you will not be assisted and therefore you will have to book a new appointment.

The average processing time is 6 months, up to 12 months in some cases. Applicants are requested to bear in mind that all the applications are sent to the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria for processing. The South African Embassy in Seoul is not in the position to expedite the process or follow up on the application(s) submitted to it. Applicants are requested NOT to contact the Embassy unnecessarily for progress on the applications. If it takes longer than the estimated timeframe, each applicant may directly contact the Department of Home Affairs’ Contact Centre about his/her application status: http://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/ask-us

Newly issued passports are dispatched from the Department of Home Affairs to our head office in Pretoria, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), and then, from DIRCO to the South African Embassy in Seoul by a diplomatic bag. Upon receipt of the passports, we notify each applicant by e-mail. Please check the collection date & time in our e-mail message. If you have applied for two or more documents, you will receive separate messages for each document. A civic application is processed individually, and one can take longer than the other to be approved or issued.

Civic applications must be submitted in person, by each applicant, to the South African Embassy in Seoul. Firstly, please print out the check-list (DOWNLOAD) and prepare all the requirements accordingly. Applicants are requested to submit the complete application WITH this check-list marked and completed by hand. It is also suggested to read and study the specimen forms (BI-73 & BI-529 & DHA-9 & BI-335E) before you visit the Embassy. You will be given these forms in ORIGINAL that day. All the forms must be completed in black ink and block letters at the Embassy.

Incomplete applications will NOT be accepted by our officials. Applicants are responsible for preparing all the required information and documentation as advised on the check-list. Should you have any queries regarding your application or require further assistance and advice on your document(s), please contact us before you lodge the application with us: consular.seoul@dirco.gov.za

If your application is ready to be submitted to the Embassy, please send an e-mail (consular.seoul@dirco.gov.za) for appointment bookings. Write your full names, contact number, and type of your application(s). We’ll send you a booking confirmation by e-mail. Please check the date & time of your appointment(s) in our e-mail message. For your information, the appointment time will be scheduled during consular hours: 9am-12pm, from Monday to Friday.

NP:NP: Please note that only those who have an appointment confirmed by e-mail are admitted to the chancery building. If you are late for more than 15 minutes of your appointment time, it will be automatically cancelled. If you cannot attend your appointment, please cancel it in time, so that it can be reallocated to someone else. If you do not comply with the requirements, you will not be assisted and therefore you will have to book a new appointment.

The average processing time is 6 months, up to 12 months in some cases. Applicants are requested to bear in mind that all the applications are sent to the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria for processing. The South African Embassy in Seoul is Not in the position to expedite the process or follow up on the applications. Applicants are requested NOT to contact the Embassy unnecessarily for progress on the application. The relevant official of the Department of Home Affairs will process each application case by case and contact the Embassy for the result where the application is successful.

Upon receipt of the approval, the Embassy issues an emergency travel certificate (ETC) manually. South African ETCs must be collected in person, by each applicant. If it is ready to be collected, we notify each applicant by e-mail. Please check the collection date & time in our e-mail message. We will take your thumb-print and put our seal on the ETC that day.