Registration of South Africans Abroad (ROSA)

What is ROSA?

ROSA is the acronym for the ‘Registration of South Africans Abroad’, a software programme developed by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) to enable travellers to register online.

The information travellers register on ROSA allows the DIRCO to assist South African nationals in the event of an emergency. The registration is a free, voluntary service provided by government (through the DIRCO). ROSA is only available to South African nationals who are travelling, living, working or studying abroad.  (Note:  South African nationals with dual nationality may register if they are not travelling to the country of their second nationality.)

ROSA is an initiative that is endorsed and supported by the Association of South African Travel Agents (ASATA).

Why should I register?

Most people who travel abroad every day do not encounter any difficulties. However, through our missions abroad, we have assisted a growing number of South Africans who have become victims of crime, accidents, illness, death, natural/man-made disasters, civil unrest, or whose family and/or next-of-kin needed to contact them in an emergency.

Registration through this website is not considered proof of South African citizenship. If you apply for any service from an Embassy, High Commission or Consulate General (mission) while abroad, you will be asked by staff to provide proof of South African citizenship, such as a passport or bar coded ID book.

By registering your trip on-line with ROSA you assist the DIRCO to locate you during an emergency, thus verifying your status and liaising with your next-of-kin. Information on ROSA is not continuously monitored and will only be accessed during a declared consular emergency.

Registration is voluntary and free of charge. We encourage you to consider registration as an integral part of your travel planning and security.

How do I register?

The ROSA software is an on-line registration process available on the Department of International Relations and Cooperation website.  The address is http://www.dirco.gov.za/consular/index.html.

Click on the Registration of South Africans Abroad (ROSA) button and follow the easy steps.

The ROSA software is unique as it allows for a traveller to:

Requests for technical assistance or support regarding the registration process, including general enquiries relating to ROSA, can be addressed to e-mail address:  rosahelp@dirco.gov.za.

How can the Embassy or Consulate assist me while I am abroad?

The Chief Directorate: Consular Services in the DIRCO, in close collaboration with the Consular Sections of South African Representatives abroad, provides consular services to South African citizens who work, live and travel abroad.

Consular Services operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On weekends and after hours, assistance is rendered in co-operation with the DIRCO's Operations Room in Pretoria. The Operations Room supports our 121 Representatives in 105 countries affording services that cover the entire world.

A detailed list of services is available at http://www.dirco.gov.za/consular/services.htm

How will my information be used?

ROSA will be utilised by Consular Officers at Head Office or at a South African Mission abroad in the event of a disaster, emergency or other crisis as outlined above.

Information on ROSA is only accessed by the DIRCO during a consular emergency. It is only authorised officers of the DIRCO who will have access to the information which will solely be used in the event of an emergency. This will enable the DIRCO to e.g. react by contacting the next-of-kin to verify the status of the South Africans travelling abroad that might have been affected by the emergency. 

Registration and Privacy

The DIRCO is committed to ensuring that any personal information received through the ROSA on-line registration process is safeguarded against unauthorised disclosure.

The DIRCO will not disclose the information you provide through the registration application to any third parties (this includes family members) unless you have first given written authorisation to do so.  In the event that family members make enquiries about your whereabouts, such requests will be forwarded to you.  You may choose to inform the mission of your decision to respond or not.

This internet site uses secure encryption to safeguard your privacy and therefore any unauthorised interception by third parties of the information you send via the internet is unlikely. The DIRCO does not accept responsibility for any such interception.

Important Notification

The responsibility remains with the individual traveller to:

  • act responsibly and be aware of the risks
  • consider and purchase full travel insurance or an overseas health plan
  • respect the culture and customs of the countries visited.

The consular assistance provided by the DIRCO, in the case of an emergency, is usually of a non-financial nature, and the DIRCO will not be responsible for payment of legal, medical, travelling expenses or any other expenses on behalf of the traveller.

It is reiterated that information on ROSA is only accessed by the DIRCO during a declared consular emergency.
Last modified
04 Jul 2012