How to Complete and Submit a DHA Form: Documents, Fees, and Booking

South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs uses a separate form for almost every service it offers, so the first question to answer is which one matches your situation. The main DHA forms in South Africa cover identity documents (DHA-9), birth registration (DHA-24), passports (DHA-73), marriage certificates (BI-130), temporary residence visas (BI-1738), permanent residence (BI-947), and death notification (DHA-1663). Pick the right form, gather the certified documents it requires, book an appointment, and appear in person for biometrics. Miss any one of those and the application stops.

Which Form Matches Your Need

Each form corresponds to a specific event or record. Filing the wrong one gets your application refused before it’s evaluated.

Smart ID card — DHA-9 (BI-9). Every South African citizen aged 16 or older uses this form to apply for a smart ID card. It includes a full set of fingerprints, and the identity number it produces stays with you for life.1Department of International Relations and Cooperation. First Time Applicant Identity Document

Birth registration — DHA-24. The official notice of birth, required under the Births and Deaths Registration Act. It must be filed within 30 days of the child’s birth; anything later is treated as a late registration with extra paperwork.2Department of Home Affairs. Notice of Birth – DHA-243UNICEF. Births and Deaths Registration Act 51 of 1992 The first unabridged birth certificate is issued free.4Embassy of South Africa. Full Birth Certificate

Passport or travel document — DHA-73 (BI-73). Used both inside South Africa and at consulates abroad. Complete it in block letters, black ink.5South African Embassy Berlin. Application for a Tourist Passport

Unabridged marriage certificate — BI-130. This requests a certified copy of an already-registered marriage. It does not register the marriage itself.6Department of Home Affairs. Application for Marriage Certificate

Temporary residence visa — BI-1738 (Form 8). For foreign nationals staying longer than 90 days for work, study, business, critical skills, intra-company transfer, or retirement.7Department of Home Affairs. Application for Temporary Residence Permit BI-1738 For visits under 90 days, the form is DHA-84 (Form 11).8Department of International Relations and Cooperation. Visa/Permit Types and Requirements

Permanent residence — BI-947. Filed under Sections 26 and 27 of the Immigration Act. Spousal applications require both parties to sign and attend a mandatory interview.9Statistics South Africa. Application for a Permanent Residence Permit

Notice of death or stillbirth — DHA-1663. Section A must be completed by the medical practitioner or professional nurse who examined the body.10Department of Home Affairs. Notice of Death / Still Birth

Correcting errors — BI-526. Used when your name, date of birth, place of birth, or gender is wrong in the National Population Register. It’s submitted with Form BI-24, Form BI-529, and, for anyone 16 or older, the DHA-9 fingerprint form.11South African Embassy in Berne. Amendment of Personal Particulars Changing a forename (rather than correcting an error) uses DHA-196 instead.12Embassy of South Africa. SA Citizens Services

Where to Get the Form

The eHomeAffairs portal at ehome.dha.gov.za lets you create a profile, capture your application, upload documents, pay, and book an appointment at a participating bank branch or Home Affairs office.13Department of Home Affairs. eHomeAffairs Not every form is downloadable, though. The DHA-9, DHA-196, and BI-526 carry unique barcodes and must be collected in person from a Home Affairs office, or by mailing a self-addressed stamped envelope large enough for an unfolded A4 page to a South African embassy or consulate.14South African Consulate-General in Toronto, Canada. Reissue of ID

If you’re abroad, your nearest South African mission usually holds stock of the main forms. Some also post downloadable versions on their websites. Confirm with the specific mission before your appointment, because a printed copy will not always be accepted where a barcoded original is required.

Documents You Need to Bring

Every application is supported by originals plus certified copies. The exact list depends on the form, but the following show up across most services.

  • Your current South African ID, smart ID card, or passport. For minors, both parents’ identification.
  • An unabridged birth certificate, needed for first-time ID applications, minors’ passports, and late birth registrations.
  • A marriage certificate for spousal applications, or a certified copy of your divorce decree if your marital status has changed.
  • Recent color photographs, 35mm wide by 45mm high, full face, head and shoulders only, no glasses, clear forehead.15VFS Global. Photo Specification
  • Proof of residence such as a utility bill or lease agreement.

Copies must be certified by a Commissioner of Oaths, who compares the copy to the original and stamps it as a true reflection. Police stations, courts, and legal practitioners provide this service.16Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. Commissioners of Oaths Uncertified copies are rejected on the spot.

Foreign Nationals

Add a police clearance certificate from your home country, a medical report, and in some categories proof of financial means. Documents not in English or another official South African language need an official translation. Documents from Hague Apostille Convention countries must be apostilled; those from non-signatory countries need authentication through the relevant diplomatic channel. Assemble everything before your appointment; a single missing item forces a rebooking.

Passports for Children

Applications for children 15 and under require both parents to sign the DHA-73. A parent who can’t attend must provide a consent affidavit and a certified copy of their ID.17Embassy of South Africa. South African Passports Divorced parents have specific rules:

  • Sole guardian: may sign alone.
  • Shared custody: both sign, and the non-custodial parent supplies a letter of permission.
  • Deceased parent: submit the death certificate.
  • Unreachable or refusing parent: the matter goes to the Children’s Court, and the court’s decision accompanies the application.

For children born out of wedlock, the biological father’s consent is required and both parents must be present at submission.

Booking, Submitting, and Collecting

Book through the DHA’s Branch Appointment Booking System to avoid walk-in queues.18Department of Home Affairs. Branch Appointment Booking System Whether you start on eHomeAffairs or fill in a paper form, a branch visit is unavoidable: the DHA must capture your photo, fingerprints, and signature in person.

At the appointment, the official checks your documents against the form and cross-references the National Population Register. Any mismatch in names, dates, or ID numbers puts the file on hold. Missing documents send you back to book again. Double-check every field before you walk in.

Once biometrics are captured and documents accepted, you get a reference number for tracking online or by SMS. Collection is at the same office, and the DHA verifies your identity with a final fingerprint scan before releasing the document. If you can’t collect in person, a written authorization letter naming both you and your representative by name and ID or passport number allows a third party to collect. The representative brings their own original ID and any receipts issued to you at application.19VFS Global. Authorization Letter for Passport Collection For a passport collection, the representative also needs your original passport, since approved permits are endorsed inside it.

Fees and Processing Times

Payment happens at the office during your appointment, typically by debit card or EFT. Applications routed through eHomeAffairs are paid online with proof of payment uploaded.22Department of Home Affairs. Department of Home Affairs – ePermits

Smart ID cards applied for inside South Africa usually take six to eight weeks. Domestic passports run to a similar timeline but vary by office. Passport applications lodged at an embassy or consulate abroad can take six months or longer, so apply well before any travel.17Embassy of South Africa. South African Passports

Late Birth Registration

Missing the 30-day window puts you into the late registration process, and the requirements scale up with how much time has passed.3UNICEF. Births and Deaths Registration Act 51 of 1992

  • After 30 days but under one year: late notice of birth (DHA-24/LRB), proof of birth from the health facility (DHA-24/PB) or a witness affidavit if the child was born outside a facility, an affidavit explaining the delay (DHA-288/A), and the child’s biometrics.
  • After one year but under seven years: everything above, plus a supporting affidavit (DHA-288).
  • After seven years: everything above, plus two ID-size photos and the child’s fingerprints.

For anyone aged 15 or older, add Form BI-529 (Determination of Citizenship) for the child and the South African parent, four immigration-size photos, and certified copies of the parents’ IDs, marriage certificate, and birth certificates. Processing at that stage takes roughly six months.23South African High Commission in Ottawa, Canada. Late Registration of Birth – Age Fifteen Years and Older Registrations within one year are generally free; after one year the fee is around R70.

Lost or Stolen Documents

If your passport is lost or stolen while you’re overseas, the nearest South African embassy or consulate can issue an emergency travel document. It’s single-entry and one-way, valid only for the trip back to South Africa.24South African High Commission in the United Kingdom. Emergency Travel Document You complete Form CMO 217 (Lost Passport Declaration) along with the standard DHA-73 and BI-529; the DHA-9 fingerprint form is handled at the appointment. Bring four photos, proof of the emergency, a motivation letter confirming you understand the document is one-way, and your itinerary. Don’t confirm flights until the embassy tells you the document is approved.

You need a 13-digit South African ID number to qualify. Citizens 16 or older who never obtained an ID and hold only a child passport must first apply for one, and fingerprint registration alone takes at least three months.

For a lost or stolen ID inside South Africa, visit any Home Affairs office and apply for a replacement smart ID card using the DHA-9. The fee is R140 and processing runs six to eight weeks.

Updating Marital Status After Divorce

A divorce order does not flow through to the DHA on its own. Take a certified copy of the final decree and your ID to a Home Affairs office (or a South African mission if you’re abroad) and request the update yourself. Until that’s done, the National Population Register still shows you as married, which can complicate later document applications and estate matters. If the decree is lost, contact the court that granted the divorce; you’ll need the case number, court name, date of divorce, and the names and ID numbers of both parties to get a replacement copy.