New process for passports

PASSPORT applications
made in person can now
only be made at DHA live
capture offices.
This comes as the Minister
of Home Affairs, Professor
Hlengiwe Mkhize, recently
announced the discontinuation
of manual processing of
passports as part of efforts
to dramatically improve
turnaround times.
Currently, there are 179 live
capture offices across the
country. Not all DHA offices
are live capture offices.
A live capture office captures
applicants’ details, including
the verification of fingerprints
and signatures digitally. Smart
ID cards can also be applied
for at live capture offices. A list
of all the available live capture
offices is available on the DHA
website.
Thabo Mokgola,
spokesperson for the DHA,
says the change aims to
modernise the department
and the services it offers. “The
main objective is to introduce
a paperless environment at all
our offices that issue enabling
documents,” he says.
Passport applications can
also be made online via the
eHomeAffairs website, though
these can only be collected
at participating Home Affairsenabled
banks (FNB, Absa,
Standard Bank and Nedbank).
There are 11 participating
Home Affairs-enabled bank
offices across Gauteng and
one in Cape Town. Online
applicants need to visit a
Home Affairs live capture office
to capture their biometric data.
A list of the available banks
that offer passport collections
is available on the DHA
website.