Passport application: what to check before visiting Home Affairs

Before visiting Home Affairs for a tourist-passport application, check the documents and photograph arrangements for the office you plan to use.

The Western Cape Government’s passport service guide lists a valid South African identity document and the DHA-73 application form. People applying abroad are directed to a South African embassy or mission and may need the determination-of-citizenship form, DHA-529.

Bring an existing valid tourist passport where applicable. For a lost or stolen passport, the guide lists the DHA-335 loss report and confirmation that the loss was reported to police.

Confirm whether the office captures photographs through its biometric system before paying for printed passport photographs. The page also lists fingerprints as part of the application process.

Applicants under 18 have additional consent requirements. Check the complete instructions for the applicant’s age and circumstances rather than treating an adult checklist as sufficient for a child.

Ask Home Affairs for current fees, office arrangements and expected processing times before committing to travel. This is existing service information checked on 8 November 2026, not a new policy or a guarantee of passport delivery. No booking or application system was tested.

Archive photograph: Home Affairs building on Harrison Street, Johannesburg, photographed on 13 March 2016. Photo: Adamina / Wikimedia Commons, originally published on Flickr. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Johannesburg_Harrison_Street_02.jpg . Licence: CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ . Cropped and resized for display. The photograph does not establish current branch services or identify passport applicants.