South Africans UK

The Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has provided the following update for South African citizens living in the UK and other red-listed countries who would like to travel to South Africa but are concerned about their spouses or their children’s foreign nationality.

All South African citizens with a South African passport are allowed to travel to SA.

A foreign spouse of a South African citizen is allowed to travel to South Africa provided:

1. S/he has a valid foreign passport.
2. Valid relative visa
3. Negative Covid 19 PCR test

You must apply for a relative visa at VFS Global if you are from a Covid 19 high-risk country, and do not have a valid relative visa, and wish to travel to SA with your South African spouse.

This also applies to people holding passports that are normally South African visa-exempt eg. British, Canadian and US passports.

Minor children travelling on foreign passports to South Africa

A minor child is allowed to travel to South Africa on a foreign passport provided:

1. Parent/s are South African citizens holding valid South African passports
2. Parents produce the child’s unabridged birth certificate at South African port of entry proving to Immigration that they are the parents of the child
3. Upon arrival in SA the child’s birth is registered/child passport renewed at the Department of Home Affairs without delay.

Parents must ensure their children do not overstay or remain in South Africa beyond the period of stay given by Immigration at the South African Port of Entry. Overstay shall result in a child/passport holder declared undesirable and refused future entry into South Africa.

You can sign the DA’s petition to help South Africans abroad get a better passport renewal and document service.

This information was provided by South African High Commission in the UK