Congratulations on receiving your permanent residency for South Africa! Now as a permanent resident of the country you are eligible to apply for an ID card. Although your certificate has just been issued, it is necessary for your residency status to be verified by the Pretoria Head Office.
All permanent residence certificates issued as of 1st October 2014 will have attached a "verified" copy of the permit which must be used when you apply for your South African Identity card. This copy will contain an original verification stamp and original signature of the verifying officer.
Only original stamped copies must be used for the processing of a RSA Identity Document. If your permanent residence certificate was issued prior to October 2014, a copy of the permanent residence permit must be emailed to the following email: verificationofPR@dha.gov.za. On receipt of the request, the permanent residence permit will be verified and emailed back to the office which you will be making the RSA Identity document application to.
After the permanent residence verification result has been received, the Department of Home Affairs will supply you with an application form (BI-9) to apply for the Identity Document.
- Please note that you will need to complete your application at the Department of Home Affairs office as they do not allow this form to leave their premises.
- As fingerprints are taken, it is necessary that the application be done personally by the applicant.
You will be required the following documentation for the submission of your application:
Photographs
2 ID sized photographs of each applicant is required.
Passport
- The original passport for each applicant will be required during the submission of the application.
- A certified copy of your passport photograph page will be required for submission in your application.
Birth Certificate
- The original, full unabridged birth certificate for each applicant is required to accompany the application.
- A certified copy of your unabridged birth certificate will be required for submission in your application.
Permanent Residence Certificate
- The original permanent residence certificate for each applicant is required to accompany the application, including proof of verification.
Marriage/Divorce/Death Certificates
- Where applicable, the original marriage/divorce/death certificate for any current/previous marriages for each applicant is required to accompany the application.
- A certified copy of each applicable document will be required for submission in your application.
Application fees
- The current application fee is R140.00 . This is subject to change and may change annually.
- Should you need to apply in future (e.g. lost ID card, change of name), application fees are again applied (prices are subject to change and may change annually.