South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has launched two new dedicated service centres in Sydney and Melbourne to assist South Africans living in Australia with Smart ID and passport applications.
The move is part of the department’s Home Affairs @ Home initiative, designed to reduce turnaround times for critical identity documents from over a year to just five weeks.
Speaking about the expansion, Minister Leon Schreiber said the launch follows a successful trial in the United Kingdom and is aimed at eliminating long delays that have left many overseas South Africans frustrated.
Launch dates and locations:
- Sydney: 16 July 2025 at 10:00 (AEST)
📍 Level 6, 88 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 - Melbourne: 18 July 2025 at 13:00 (AEST)
📍 Level 5, 332 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004
Australia is home to over 210 000 South African expats, making it the second-largest community outside of South Africa, after the United Kingdom.
The department also confirmed further rollouts in New Zealand and the UAE, followed by France, Germany, and the Netherlands later in 2025, and North America in 2026.
This is part of the department’s broader push to phase out the green barcoded ID book and transition all citizens to the more secure Smart ID card by 2029.
The expansion also aligns with Home Affairs’ plan to enable Smart ID and passport services at over 100 bank branches by year-end – with a goal of reaching 1 000 branches by 2028.
Are you suitably impressed by the changes Home Affairs are making?
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