South African Embassy in Sweden, South African Citizen Services, Passport Application
Application for a Passport
South African citizens who are 16 years or older are entitled
to an ordinary passport valid for 10 years. Any South African citizen may apply for a passport if the current
passport he/she is holding is about to expire, is almost full, has been damaged, lost or stolen, or if the applicant
wishes to change his or her maiden name to the married name.
The following documents must be submitted when applying for a passport:
Form BI-73 to be fully completed in block letters and in black ink;
Note:
- Applicants must complete Parts A, D and E.
- Part B must be completed by an official at the South African Embassy in Stockholm or by a Swedish police officer, if submitting by post.
- Under "Signature of the applicant" in the bottom left hand corner, the applicant must sign in the box (no
part of the signature must be outside of the designated area).
- The left thumbprint must also be taken in the bottom right hand corner by a Swedish police officer, if
submitting by post.
- For Question (a) of Part D, "means of obtaining" citizenship of another country may be through
descent, birth, marriage, naturalisation or registration.
- Question (b) of Part D refers to a previously issued South African passport.
Form BI-9 to be fully completed in block letters and in black ink (as this form may not be
downloaded, it should be requested in writing and by submitting a self-addressed A4-size
envelope with postage paid for SEK 71 (registered mail) to mail the form to the applicant; alternatively, this form
may be collected in person at our office during the opening hours: Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri; 09:00-12:30);
Note:
-The purpose of this form is for record purposes only. It is used for the taking of fingerprints and
the subsequent comparison to confirm identity. It is therefore not used to apply for a "First issue
for an identity card" as indicated on the top of the form.
- Fingerprints are taken free of charge at the Embassy in Stockholm, if applications are lodged in person.
- Applicants who cannot travel to the Embassy in Stockholm may have their fingerprints taken at a Swedish Police Station; please note
however, that the Swedish Police are under no obligation to assist with taking fingerprints, and in
such cases, applicants would be forced to travel to the Embassy in Stockholm to have their fingerprints taken.
- The front page of the form BI-9 must be fully completed, dated and signed by the applicant.
Form BI-529 to be fully completed in block letters and in black ink;
Note:
- The purpose of this form is to verify the applicant's South African citizenship; therefore, all
South African citizens who are abroad at the time of lodging an application for a passport must
fully complete this form.
- Questions 9, 10, 11 of Part A are of particular importance.
- Questions that are not applicable should be marked as 'n/a'; if answers to certain questions are
not known e.g. the mother's identity number, they should be marked as 'Do not know'.
Original or certified copy of the applicant's South African passport (including page with the
residence permit for Sweden if applicable), identity document or birth certificate;
Note:
- The applicant's passport or a certified copy of the passport must be submitted despite the fact
that the current passport may be full or expired.
- If the current passport has been lost or stolen, a police report and a fully completed affidavit
(available on request from our office) should be submitted.
- If the current passport is damaged, what is left of the applicant's damaged passport should be
submitted.
- If a female applicant is changing her surname to her married name, the passport or certified
copy of the passport in the applicant's maiden name should be submitted.
In respect of dual citizens, original or certified copy of the applicant's foreign passport;
In respect of married applicants, original or certified copy of the marriage certificate accompanied by an
English translation by a sworn translator, if the original marriage certificate is not
in English; alternatively, applicants who married in Sweden may submit an extract from the marriage
register, which is commonly known as an 'international marriage certificate';
Note:
- Current legislative changes stipulate that female married applicants may elect to use their
surname, their maiden surname or a combination of both current married surname and maiden
surname. This request should be put in writing when applying for a passport.
In respect of divorced applicants, original or a certified copy of the applicant's divorce decree
accompanied by an English translation by a sworn translator, if the original
divorce decree is not in English or Afrikaans;
In respect of widows, original or a certified copy of the applicant's spouse's death certificate
accompanied by an English translation by a sworn translator, if the original death
certificate is not in English; alternatively, an applicant whose spouse passed away in Sweden may
submit an extract from the death register, which is commonly known as an
'international death certificate';
In respect of applicants born in Namibia, a fully completed 'Namibian Questionnaire' (available
on request from our office);
Four (4) identical passport photos (see photograph specifications), including the
applicant's full name on the reverse side – passport photos should not be affixed to the application
form(s);
A self-addressed A5-size envelope with postage paid for SEK 71 (registered mail), to return the passport after issuing, and any personal
original documents;
Proof of payment of the prescribed application fee of SEK 400 e.g. copy of the bank transfer slip
(please note that if the applicant's previous passport has been lost, stolen or damaged,
the fee is double the amount of the prescribed fee i.e. SEK 800).
Payment of the above-mentioned application fee and cash deposit, if applicable, may be made
through an electronic bank transfer to the following account:
Recipient:
South African Embassy in Stockholm
Bank giro:
606-4893
Banking institution:
SEB
Ref:
Passport and Surname
Should you require clarification on completing the application forms or have any further enquiries about the
application process, please contact our office at your convenience.
NOTE (please read carefully):
South African citizens whose circumstances necessitate frequent travel are entitled to a maxi passport valid
for 10 years. A maxi passport is a 48-page passport that can only be issued to South African citizens 16 years
and older. Please note that the prescribed fee for a maxi passport is double that of a tourist passport i.e. SEK 380.
South African citizens are also entitled to hold two passports - either two ordinary passports or an ordinary
passport and a maxi passport. Persons wishing to apply for two passports must submit a written motivation for
holding two passports together with fulfilling the requirements for both applications.
In terms of the South African Citizenship Amendment Act of 2004,
which came into effect on 15 September 2004, it is now an offence for a
major South African citizen to enter the Republic or depart making use of the
passport of another country. Essentially, the Amendment Act provides that a South African citizen, who has dual
citizenship or nationality, can freely use his or her foreign passport outside South Africa. However, they must use
their South African passport to depart from or enter South Africa.
South African citizens who must travel urgently for a valid reason and cannot wait for their tourist passport to be
issued are entitled to a Temporary Passport valid for 12 months.
Please note that a new passport must already
have been applied for before an application for a temporary passport can be lodged; an applicant may apply for
both a new passport and a temporary passport simultaneously. Please note that since 1 March 2007 Sweden
no longer recognises South African temporary passports. Although a South African temporary passport
may be used for entry into and departure from the Republic of South Africa, it may not be used for
departure from and re-entry into Germany; applicant's are therefore advised to contact the relevant
Swedish authorities, e.g. your local 'Office for Foreigners' to make the necessary
arrangements for your departure from and re-entry into Sweden.
Applicants are advised that applications submitted at our office are referred to the Department of Home Affairs
in Pretoria, where the passports are issued, with the diplomatic freight bag once every two weeks.
Unfortunately the intra-departmental movement of the application and tracing of original records in the register
held by the Department of Home Affairs is a time consuming task, with the result that these applications may
take up to six (6) months to process. Our office may issue a letter confirming that a passport application has
been lodged and the processing period, if required.
Applicants would be immediately notified as soon as the passport has been received by our office from
Pretoria, and are kindly requested not to contact our office unnecessarily for progress reports. Applicants may
however contact our office in the event of the application taking longer than six (6) months.
On receipt of a passport from Pretoria, the applicant would be requested to return his or her current child or
temporary passport for cancellation. Passports containing residence permits would thereafter be returned to
applicants together with their new passport.
Due to the long-term nature of passport applications, applicants are kindly requested to keep our office
informed of any change of address during the processing period; in fact, applicants should also provide us with a
valid cellphone number and email address when submitting their application.
A complete application may be either mailed to our office, or submitted personally during the consular opening
hours: Mon-Tue, Thu-Fri; 09:00-12:30.
Application forms should not be folded, and applications that are submitted by post, should be mailed in an
A4-size envelope.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (formerly, Department of Foreign Affairs) offers a
voluntary registration service for South African citizens that are travelling or residing abroad, ROSA (Registration of South Africans Abroad).
This service is provided in the event there is a need to contact you to offer urgent advice on a natural disaster or civil unrest or
a family emergency. Information may submitted by a South African citizen via the ROSA Online Registration form.
