Description
Anybody with a South African permanent residence permit qualifies
to apply for South African citizenship through naturalisation after
five years of being a permanent resident.
Anybody married to a South African citizen qualifies for
naturalisation after receiving the permanent
residence permit issued at the time of the marriage subjected to the conditions of the permit.
A child under 18 who has a permanent residence permit qualifies for
naturalisation immediately after the permit is issued.
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Steps to follow
- Complete forms BI-63 and BI-757 at any Home Affairs office.
Apply at a South African embassy or mission if applying
abroad.
- Produce a valid permanent residence permit or exemption.
- Submit a police clearance certificate.
- Submit the completed application form BI-9 with a full set of
fingerprints and two ID-size photographs if you are over the age of
15. This is to obtain an identity document after naturalisation has
been approved.
- The responsible parent may apply on behalf of a minor at any
time, provided the minor lives in South Africa permanently and
lawfully.
- If your applications have been approved, you will be asked to
sign the declaration of allegiance and will be issued with a
naturalisation certificate with an R number.
- An identity document will be issued and forwarded to the
applicant.
- Applicants whose applications have been declined will be
informed accordingly.
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Legal framework
(Documents are provided in PDF format. To open PDF documents, you need to
have Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 or higher installed on
your computer.)
South African Citizenship Act, 1995 (Act 88 of
1995)
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Service standard
It
may take 2 to 6 months to process your application.
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Cost
R190
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Forms to complete
(Forms are provided in PDF
format. To open PDF documents, you need to have
Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 or higher installed on
your computer.)
Note: *Special specifications and requirements regarding the
processing of this form apply and it may therefore not be
downloaded for use as an application or registration form. All
forms are available at any regional or district office of the
Department.
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Contact details
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