South African Passport Renewal In USA 2023 Cost & How

There are tons of South Africans living in the United States of America currently, and it’s obvious that not everyone can always come back home to Africa to do important things like renewing their expiring South African international passport. Of course, it doesn’t matter where you reside in USA, you can get a brand new South African international passport upon the expiration of your current one, without unnecessary stress.

South African passport renewal in USA means you have to apply for a brand new one in any of the South African foreign missions in the United States of America. The fee of a regular South African international passport is just USD33.

South African Passport Renewal In USA

Either your South African international passport is getting expired or out of visa pages, you can only apply for a new international passport entirely. There are four major types of passports you can apply for at any of the South African Missions in the United States of America. They include:

Regular Passports

If you are a South African citizen who is 16 years and above, this is the international passport you have to apply for. Regular South African international passports are valid for ten years before they expire. Upon the expiration, you have to apply for a brand new regular passport, since it is currently not renewable. This apply to you if your current passport is short of more visa pages.

Child Passports

Those who are 15 and below would apply for this one. Like in the case of regular South African international passports, these ones too are not renewable. It means, once the expiration date is evident, a new international passport application must be made.

Emergency Travel Certificate

Thirdly, these special documents are granted to citizens of South Africa who must urgently travel back to the country for any emergency – including death, sickness, and so on. It is a page form, and it comes with different duration also. It should however be added that those applying for this must apply for permanent passports too.

Maxi Passports

These are special South African international passports intentionally made for frequent travelers. It is 48-page document, and just like the regular passports, they are also valid for ten years. When your maxi passport has expired, you have to make a new international passport application to get a new one, since it can’t also be renewed. The prominent difference between regular South African international passports and Maxi passports is that the latter comes with extra pages for more visa pages.

Applying For Your South African International Passport

The simple thing to do is to get the documents to be submitted and the officials will take it up. Applicants must submit both the original application forms alongside every supporting documents, plus a copy of the completed set.

These are the documents to be submitted:

1. The Passport Application Form (DHA-73, which can be downloaded online). You are to input your signature and left thumb print. Kindly note that on this form, there is a section which must be signed and stamped by the Police.
2. The Determination of citizenship (DHA-529)
3. The DHA-9 form. This one requires some activities from you, since it is not downloadable. To get the form, you have to send a self-addressed stamped regular envelope and request for it from any of the South African Missions closer to you. You are expected to come over to the Embassy or any of the Consulates to have your fingerprints taken. You can also do this at notary public offices or fingerprints taking centers. Although applicants are also permitted to take their fingerprints at the nearest police station, the Mission won’t accept electronic fingerprints on police cards.
4. Notarized Marriage Certificate. Either you plan changing your surname or not, the Mission stated that all married applicants must submit this. On the other hand, divorced applicants can submit a divorce decree.
5. Written Request to Change Surname. For females who are married and desire to retain their maiden surnames or start using double-barrel surnames, they are required to submit this.
6. Notarized Copy of Your South African Identity Book/Birth Certificate
7. Notarized Copy of your former South African international passport
8. Notarized Copy of your Retention or Exemption Letter, if you have dual citizenship
9. Notarized Certificate of Naturalization (if you are a naturalized South African)
10. Four Passport Size Photographs of yours. It must be 2″ x 2′, and should be properly taken. The mouth should be closed while taking the picture (your teeth not showing), and you are also required to laser engrave your signature into the passport as far as you are 16 years and above. It should be noted that even if all other documents have been properly done, but your photo and signature images failed to meet quality standards, your passport application will be rejected. The Mission made it known already that the photos must be in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization standards for passports photo images (you can check out the standards online before you proceed with this).

Kindly note that these requirements are for applicants who are applying for a new South African passport upon the expiration of their current international passport. As you can see, one of the documents you have to submit is your current passport. Hence, if your passport got stolen or damaged, you have to engage more activities before going to the office of any of the Missions. For instance, you are expected to submit a loss of passport report as well as a police report for loss of passport.

South African Passport Cost In USA

1. Regular passports cost just 33 USD
2. Lost, damaged or stolen passports cost just 66 USD
3. Child passport cost just 33 USD
4. Emergency Travel Certificates cost just 12 USD
5. Maxi Passports cost just 50 USD

It is necessary to place emphasis on the acceptable method of making payments for your South African passport in the United States of America. This is because, if it’s not done properly, you may not be able to have your passport application renewed at all.

That being said, the Commission already indicated that fees should be paid only in money order or certified bank check. If your application was submitted to either the Consulate Office in Chicago or the one in Los Angeles, then the payment should be payable to “South African Consulate General”. If however the passport application was submitted to the Consulate Office in New York, then payment should be payable to “South African Consulate General New York”.

Additionally, applicants who submitted their application to the South African Embassy in Washington, DC should indicate “South African Embassy”. The Commission won’t accept cash or personal check payments, but only payments made via money order or certified bank checks. Also, irrespective of which of the Missions you are paying to, ensure you pay only the exact amount, since no refunds will be made.

South African Missions In USA

The South African Embassy in Washington DC

If you reside in Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, District of Colombia, Illinois, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Virginia, Texas, Puerto Rico, Wisconsin, and Virgin Islands, this is where you should go for your South African passport issues.

Address: 3051 Massachusetts Ave,

NW

Washington, DC

The South African Consulate General in New York City

If you stay in Delaware, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Tennessee, South Carolina, Vermont West Virginia, St Martins, British Virgin Islands, Cayman, and Bermuda, this is where you should go for your South African passport stuff.

Address: 845 Third Avenue,

10th Floor,

New York

The South African Consulate General in Los Angeles, CA

If you reside in Arizona, Alaska, California, Hawaii, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, Washington, as well as Wyoming and the US Territory of Guam, this is where you should go to sort out your South African passport.

Address: 6300 Wilshire Blvd.,

Suite 600

Los Angeles, CA 90048

Closing

For folks interested in South African passport renewal in USA, you should be aware already that you can only apply for a brand new international passport in any of the South African Missions in the United States of America. If you meticulously follow the instructions, you will get your passport settled easily.

Additionally, you should ensure you add a self-addressed prepaid courier envelope with a tracking number when submitting your application at any of the offices, so your passport can be mailed back to you when it is ready. However, see to it that you add your name and address, indicating you to be both the sender and receiver.

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