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 form ( BI-529 & DHA-1664 & DHA-9 & BI-246) before you visit the Embassy. You will be given this request form 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 our consular hours: 9am-12pm, from Monday to Friday.

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 their application. 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: https://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/ask-us

If your application is successful, a confirmation letter or certificate will be issued by the Department of Home Affairs and dispatched to our head office in Pretoria, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). And then, it is sent from DIRCO to the South African Embassy in Seoul by a diplomatic bag. Upon receipt of the document from Pretoria, 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.