South African passport 10 other official names
| |
---|---|
Type | Passport |
Issued by | South Africa |
First issued | 1 April 2009 [1] (current version) |
Purpose | Traveling |
Eligibility | South African citizenship |
Expiration | 10 years after acquisition for adults, 5 years for children |
Cost | R600 (32page) / R1200 (48page) [2] |
A South African passport (Also commonly referred to as the 'Green Mamba' or the 'Biltong Book' by South Africans)[ citation needed ] is a travel document issued to citizens of South Africa for the purpose of international travel. It allows the bearer to travel in foreign countries in accordance with visa requirements, and facilitates the process of securing assistance from South African consular officials abroad, if necessary. [3] A South African passport is a valid proof of citizenship document according to South African nationality law. As of November 2023 [update] , citizens of South Africa enjoyed visa-free access to 102 countries, of which some may require pre-travel registration according to the Visa Restrictions Index.
South African passports are issued by the South African Department of Home Affairs, [4] in terms of the South African Passport and Travel Documents Act (Act 4 of 1994), [5] and the South African Passport and Travel Documents Regulations of 1996.
There are six types of South African passports:
South African passports are green in colour, with the South African coat of arms emblazoned in gold in the centre of the front cover. "REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA", French: "RÉPUBLIQUE [10] D'AFRIQUE DU SUD" are inscribed in gold text above and below the coat of arms respectively. "PASSPORT", French: "PASSEPORT" are inscribed in gold text near the bottom of the front cover. The back cover is left blank.
Beginning in 2009, passports were issued with the new post-2000 South African coat of arms. Additionally, visa pages now contain pictures of the Lion, Buffalo, Leopard, Elephant, and Rhinoceros – the Big Five animals of Southern Africa.
The passport note occupies the first page of the passport, and the particulars page occupies the last. The identity information page is printed on the inside of the passport's back cover, opposite the particulars page.
The front cover, passport note, particulars page, and identity information page are printed in both English and French. Until 1994, they were also printed in Afrikaans.
Passports contain a note from the issuing state, addressed to the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of that state and requesting that they be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms. The note inside the South African passport states:
In English:
and in French:
On the particulars page, the bearer is instructed to fill in their address of permanent residence and other contact information, and the name, address, and contact information of someone to notify in case of accident or death abroad.
The following data are printed on the identity information page, located on the inside of the passport's back cover:
A machine-readable zone is found at the bottom of the identity information page.
The Department of Home Affairs began issuing new format passports on 9 April 2009. [11] These passports are not biometric but do contain sophisticated security features such as a seven-layer polycarbonate page where personal details and a photograph are laser engraved. Various other security features have been used to bring the passport into line with International Civil Aviation Organization requirements.
Visa requirements for South African citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of South Africa. In 2019, South African citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 100 countries and territories, ranking the South African passport 51st in the world (tied with Belize) according to the Henley visa restrictions index.
Until more modern and digital methods were introduced, to apply for a South African passport, one had to fill in application form BI-73, [12] and bring the appropriate-sized photographs to ensure correct identity. Nowadays, photographs are captured onsite, as well as other biometrics.
South African passports are issued at any home affairs office in South Africa but all are printed in the executive capital, Pretoria.
According to the South African Citizenship Act (Act 88 of 1995) [13] as amended by the South African Citizenship Amendment Act (Act 17 of 2004), [14] South Africans may hold dual citizenship, but may not use their citizenship of another country to gain advantage or avoid responsibility while in South Africa.
It is also illegal for an adult who holds South African citizenship to enter or depart South Africa using a non-South African passport. Dual nationals using a non-South African passport to enter/exit South Africa may be turned away from border checkpoints and could be fined or imprisoned for up to 12 months. However, the use of their non-South African passport is permitted to enter/exit any country other than South Africa.
A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity for international travel. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal identity and nationality of its holder. It is typical for passports to contain the full name, photograph, place and date of birth, signature, and the expiration date of the passport. While passports are typically issued by national governments, certain subnational governments are authorised to issue passports to citizens residing within their borders.
A Canadian passport is the passport issued to citizens of Canada. It enables the bearer to enter or re-enter Canada freely; travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements; facilitates the process of securing assistance from Canadian consular officials abroad, if necessary; and requests protection for the bearer while abroad.
Australian passports are travel documents issued to Australian citizens under the Australian Passports Act 2005 by the Australian Passport Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), both in Australia and overseas, which enable the passport bearer to travel internationally. Australian citizens are allowed to hold passports from other countries. Since 1988 over a million Australian passports have been issued annually, and it reached 1.4 million in 2007, and increasing towards a projected 3 million annually by 2021. As of July 2023, Australian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 186 countries and territories, ranking the Australian passport sixth in the world in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.
The Malaysian passport is the passport issued to citizens of Malaysia by the Immigration Department of Malaysia.
The Israeli passport is a passport issued to Israeli citizens to enable them to travel outside Israel, and entitles the bearer to the protection of Israel's consular officials overseas. Israeli citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 163 countries and territories.
A travel document is an identity document issued by a government or international entity pursuant to international agreements to enable individuals to clear border control measures. Travel documents usually assure other governments that the bearer may return to the issuing country, and are often issued in booklet form to allow other governments to place visas as well as entry and exit stamps into them.
The Singapore passport is a travel document and passport issued to citizens and nationals of the Republic of Singapore. It enables the bearer to exit and re-enter Singapore freely, travel to and from other countries in accordance with visa requirements, facilitates the process of securing assistance from Singapore consular officials abroad, if necessary, and requests protection for the bearer while abroad.
Serbian passports are issued to Serbian citizens at any age, and it is the primary document of international travel issued by Serbia.
A Philippine passport is both a travel document and a primary national identity document issued to citizens of the Philippines. It is issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Philippine diplomatic missions abroad, with certain exceptions.
The Ukrainian passport is a document issued for nationals of Ukraine as proof of Ukrainian citizenship. The country issues international passports that are used for travel abroad. Until 2016, citizens were issued a soft booklet internal passport as their primary domestic identification document; the booklets were replaced by an identity card with existing passports remaining valid. Electronic passports are available to citizens through the government smartphone application Diia.
An Estonian passport is an international travel document issued to citizens of Estonia, and may also serve as proof of Estonian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Estonian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Estonian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case an Estonian consular is absent, if needed. If an Estonian citizen wishes to receive an identity document, especially an Estonian passport, somewhere other than the foreign representation of the Republic of Estonia, then the bearer of the Estonian citizenship staying abroad could receive the travel documents in embassies of any EU country worldwide by paying 50 Euro. Many countries require passport validity of no less than 6 months and one or two blank pages.
A Swiss passport is the passport issued to citizens of Switzerland to facilitate international travel. Beside serving as proof of Swiss citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Swiss consular officials abroad.
A Dutch passport is an identity document issued to citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the purpose of international travel. As the Netherlands only distinguish one category of citizen, for all countries in the Kingdom, passports are the same for all four countries. The passport also serves as a means of identification as required by the Dutch law since 1 January 2005 for all persons over the age of fourteen. Dutch passports are valid for a period of ten years from issuing date. The passport complies with the rules for European Union passports. Since 26 August 2006 all passports are issued as a biometric passport with an embedded contactless smartcard RFID chip for storing biometric data. Every Dutch citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The nationality allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area, and Switzerland.
The Republic of Korea passport, commonly referred to as the South Korean passport, is issued to a South Korean citizen to facilitate their international travel. Like any other passport, South Korean passports serve as proof for passport holders' personal information, such as nationality and date of birth. South Korean passports are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and have been printed by the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation (KOMSCO) since 1973. On 21 December 2021, issuing the next generation biometric passports to South Korean citizens has begun, which was delayed by one year as planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Moldovan passport is an international document issued to citizens of the Republic of Moldova for the purpose of international travel. The passport is issued by the Public Services Agency and by Moldovan foreign representations abroad. The passport is valid for ten years. For children under the age of seven years it is valid for four years. Since 1 January 2006, Moldovan citizens can hold two passports simultaneously, providing a written request has been submitted to local passport office.
The Kenyan passport is issued to Kenyan citizens in accordance with the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 and as provided for in the Kenya Citizens and Immigration Act that commenced on 30 August 2011. In addition issuance process is regulated by Legal Notice No. 64. If eligible, an individual can apply for a New Passport, Renewal Passport and Replacement Passport. Passports are issued by the Department of Immigration. The department is under the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government. Kenyan passports are usually used as a form of ID as well and would be rated as second to the Kenyan national ID card. Before Kenya got independence from Britain, British passports were used.
A Barbados passport is a travel document issued to citizens of Barbados, in accordance with Citizenship Act from 1978, the Immigration Act from 1997, and the Barbados Constitution, for the purpose of facilitating international travel. It allows the bearer to travel to foreign countries in accordance with visa requirements, and facilitates the process of securing assistance from Barbados consular officials abroad, if necessary.
The passport of Kosovo is a travel document that is issued to the citizens of Kosovo.The document facilitates international travel as well as serving as proof of citizenship. The issuance of passports is the prerogative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, with the exception of diplomatic passports which are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kosovar passports comply with all the recommended standards set for machine-readable passports by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), but the country/citizenship code RKS is not within ISO 3166 and thus not ICAO-endorsed. The passport design was disclosed on 14 March 2008.
A Polish passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of Poland, and may also serve as proof of Polish citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Polish citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Polish consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Polish consular is absent, if needed.
An Indian Identity Certificate, simply known as Identity Certificate (IC), is a travel document issued by the Passport Seva, Consular, Passport & Visa (CPV) Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India to non-citizens of the Republic of India for foreign travel. It enables the bearer to travel internationally and serves as proof of identity as per the Passports Act (1967). It is mostly issued to Tibetan refugees, along with other stateless people. Since 28 June 2016, Sweden is no longer accepting the Indian Identity Certificate as a travel document. However, on 9 October 2018, Sweden started accepting the Indian Identify Certificate for Tibetan Refugees on the condition that they have no objection to returning to India.