Doorstep passport delivery launched for South Africans living abroad

Zuko Komisa

The Department of Home Affairs is launching a new passport doorstep courier delivery service for South African citizens residing abroad starting 1 November 2025.
The move, announced by Minister Leon Schreiber, is part of the “Home Affairs @ home” vision to decentralise access and eliminate the need for a second visit to collect documents.
This international rollout will serve as a testing phase before the courier option is extended to all clients within South Africa.

The Department of Home Affairs has announced a significant step towards its “Home Affairs @ home” vision, introducing a doorstep courier delivery service for passports for South African citizens residing abroad.

The new service, unveiled by Minister Leon Schreiber during an address to the South African community in The Hague, will commence on 1 November 2025.

This initiative marks the first time the department has offered clients the option to select courier delivery for a critical document, eliminating the need for a second trip to a service centre for collection.

The announcement coincided with the launch of a new dedicated service centre in The Hague, which is projected to cut passport application waiting times from up to 18 months down to just five weeks.

The courier option will initially be available at 18 existing Home Affairs service centres worldwide. Delivery turnaround times are expected to be between 24 and 72 hours, incurring a fee ranging from US$30 to US$60.

Minister Schreiber stated that this limited international rollout will act as a “sandbox environment” to refine the process before expanding the doorstep delivery option to all clients within South Africa.

Schreiber hailed the reform as a “watershed moment” for the department, demonstrating a commitment to using digital transformation to “decentralise access and bring our services to South Africans right where they live, anywhere in the world.”