The Department of Home Affairs has announced a groundbreaking initiative set to bring relief to South Africans living abroad.
From 1 November, South African expats will be able to have their passports delivered directly to their doorstep, eliminating the need for a second visit to an office just to collect their documents.
The announcement was made by Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Leon Amos Schreiber, during a speech to the South African community in The Hague, Netherlands, at the launch of the department’s latest dedicated service centre.
“From 1 November, the option for courier delivery of passports will be available at all of the new Home Affairs service centres around the world,” the department confirmed on its site.
Minister Schreiber described the move as a major step forward for the department.
“This bold reform not only promotes inclusivity by resolving long-standing problems experienced by South Africans abroad when applying for a Passport but also amounts to another watershed moment for #TeamHomeAffairs as we work with urgency to reform our department from a laggard to a world leader in identity management. Through our vision to deliver Home Affairs @ home, we are pushing forward relentlessly to eliminate the need for clients to travel large distances and stand in long queues to obtain enabling documents. Instead, our digital transformation journey means that we are using technology to decentralise access and bring our services to South Africans right where they live – anywhere in the world,” he said.
The doorstep delivery service will come with a courier fee ranging between US$30 and US$60 (approximately R520 - R1000), depending on location. Turnaround times are expected to range between 24 and 72 hours once a passport is ready for dispatch.
The initiative follows the department’s recent success in reducing waiting times for Passport applications from up to 18 months, to just five weeks.
Plans are also underway to extend the same doorstep delivery option to citizens living in South Africa.
“Once we are confident that doorstep delivery is operating smoothly and securely for the smaller population of South Africans abroad, we will scale up this reform to offer all South Africans the option to receive their documents at home. This includes through our new digital partnership model with the banking sector,” the minister added.
Currently, the service will be available through 18 Home Affairs service centres worldwide, with more locations expected to open in the coming months. Check the list of service centres here.
For the first time ever, #TeamHomeAffairs is launching the option of doorstep delivery! From 1 November, citizens abroad will have the option to have their Passport delivered to their home when they use our new service centres abroad. Once the system is stable, we’ll roll this… pic.twitter.com/EZpSbvYhzk
— Leon Schreiber (@Leon_Schreib) October 22, 2025
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