The complete guide for the renewal of British passport in South Africa
The British High Commission in South Africa is the body that manages the correlation that exists between South Africa and the United Kingdom. The body is entrusted with ensuring the comfort of the Britain citizens living in South Africa, as well as that of South Africans living in the United Kingdom. For a British citizen to travel to South Africa, he or she is expected to have a valid travel document, hence, the topic about the renewal of British passport in South Africa.
Source: UGC
Owning a passport is one of the most basic requirements for one to travel from South Africa to Britain and vice versa. First-time travellers apply for the travel document at the Department of Home Affairs. However, if you are a British national and have lost your travel document, regardless of the conditions in which your card disappeared, you can still get a new travel document. The British High Commission in South Africa is the body that is in charge of the renewal of British passports in South Africa.
Can I renew my British passport in South Africa?
There are instances when one loses their travel documents unintentionally. Some of these incidences include theft. That, therefore, brings up the question of whether replacing the travel document is viable. Another instance that may require one to renew his/her British passport in South Africa is when the document is full. It is possible for a citizen of the United Kingdom to apply for a new travel document while in South Africa. There are, however, specific British passport renewal regulations that one should put into consideration.
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British passport renewal South Africa regulations
Before you proceed to the process of applying for a new travel document, one should ensure that they cancel the lost document. This requirement is critical since it will help minimize the chances of someone else using your identity for malicious reasons. After that, the applicant can proceed to report the lost document. For cases where you are not the victim, it is advisable to report the lost and found document to the commission offices.
Renew British passport from South Africa
Source: UGC
In case you lose your travel document a few days before your travelling date, there is the emergency passport option that you can apply for. This option takes a shorter time to process. It, however, has a set of requirements that one should meet for them to qualify for it. These requirements are:
- The applicant must be a citizen of the United Kingdom.
- He or she must be outside the country while applying for the document.
- The passport of the applicant must be lost, expired, full, or damaged.
- The applicant should prove that they are supposed to travel and cannot wait until the normal passport is processed.
New applicants do not qualify for an emergency passport application.
Eligibility of the emergency passport
If you are a South African applying for a British passport but qualify for the emergency travel document, there is a restriction on how you can use it. For instance, the document allows you to travel to your destination. It, however, limits you to travel across five countries. Apart from that, some countries may require you to leave the travel document at their borders. Besides that, the details of your travels will be stamped on the travel document.
What does it cost to renew a British passport in South Africa?
Source: UGC
If you do not qualify to apply for the emergency passport, the only option you have left is to go through the normal application process. There are two methods of renewing a British passport in South Africa, which are the online application method and the manual method that involves filling in the necessary forms. Some charges are imposed in each one of the methods. For instance, the British passport renewal online costs seventy-five Euros for the online procedure, while the manual procedure costs eighty-five Euros.
After filling in the required details and submitting them, the process of renewing a British passport takes up to three weeks. The process can take longer, especially if you did not fill the right details; hence, applicants are advised to be keen.
Once your travel document is ready, it will be delivered to you as per the address that you provided during the application process. Applicants are also advised not to make any bookings before their travel document is ready.
Track your British passport application South Africa
If you are not comfortable about waiting until the travel document gets to you, you can opt to track it. There are different categories for tracking the application. They all depend on the type and mode of application that you make. These are the methods that you could use to track your parcel:
- For applicants who made their application online and attached a digital photo, they can track their application immediately, especially if the reference of their application starts with 'PEX'.
- For applicants who made their applications online and posted the forms, they are advised to track their applications through the Passport Adviceline.
- For applicants who apply for the travel document by manually filling a form in a postal office and sending their applications, they can track their applications through the passport application tracker.
SA passport renewal online is one of the most convenient methods, especially since an applicant can start tracking the whole process immediately after applying. Once the stipulated waiting time elapses, the applicant can collect the travel document from the address that they provided. After that, they can make arrangements to travel.
The British High Commission of South Africa has made the process of renewal of British passport in South Africa more straightforward. It has also made it convenient for individuals who wish to renew their travel document and cannot wait until their passports are processed.
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Source: Briefly News
