Unless you are born in South Africa or have South African parents, you can apply for South African citizenship after holding a permanent residence permit for five years, by marrying a South African citizen or by being a minor with a permanent residence visa.
You can apply for permanent residence in South Africa if you or your spouse have been living and working in South Africa for a minimum of five years. It’s also possible to apply if you fulfill certain other conditions.
Permanent South African Residency vs South African Citizenship
As a permanent resident, you have most of the rights and responsibilities of a South African citizen. However, you cannot vote in South African elections or hold a passport.
Permanent residency is not as permanent as citizenship. You may have your permanent residence permit withdrawn if you don’t live in South Africa within the first year after the permit has been issued if you live outside South Africa for three years or you are convicted of a serious criminal offence.
Citizenship by birth or descent cannot be revoked unless you take on another nationality without first applying to retain your South African nationality or you serve in the armed forces of another country, which is at war with South Africa.
You could lose your South African citizenship by naturalization if you supply false information about yourself, conceal important information relating to your application, or obtain your naturalization fraudulently, or you are sentenced to jail for 12 months for an offense that would also have been an offense in South Africa.
How To Get Permanent Residency In South Africa
You can apply for a direct residency permit or a residency-on-other-grounds permit. But before you can make an application for either, you have to prove to the Minister of Home Affairs that you are not an undesirable person. These include people with certain infectious diseases (like cholera), many criminals, bankrupts and anyone involved with a racial hatred organization. Once you receive confirmation, you can apply for permanent residence in South Africa.
Direct Residence Permit
You can apply for a direct residence permit if you or your spouse have been living and working in South Africa for a minimum of five years, or you are the spouse or dependent of a South African citizen or someone who holds a permanent residence permit.
Residency-On-Other-Grounds Permit
You can apply for a residency-on-other-grounds permit if you have a permanent work offer in South Africa or intend starting up a business, have exceptional skills and qualifications, are a refugee, are retired, are relatives (biological or by adoption) of a South African citizen or someone who holds a permanent residence permit and you are financially independent.
How To Apply For South African Residency
You must apply at the nearest office of the Department of Home Affairs in South Africa. Otherwise, you can apply at a South African embassy or consulate if you’re abroad. You need to submit Form BI-947 along with a full set of fingerprints and various documents. There’s information at the end of the form about documents you must submit; they vary according to the immigration category.
How To Apply For South African Citizenship By Descent
You will need to submit the following documents to the Department of Home Affairs:
- Form DHA-24 to register your birth.
- Form BI-24 with signatures from both parents if your parents were unmarried at the time of your birth, to confirm paternity.
- Forms DHA-529
- Your birth certificate
- Your parents’ marriage certificate (if applicable)
- Form DHA-9, the application form for an identity document, along with two ID photographs (for those aged 15 years and over)
- Proof of your parents’ identity
- If applicable, proof of your parents’ foreign citizenship
- Adoption order (if applicable)
