How To Renew British Passport In South Africa

There are instances when one loses their travel documents unintentionally. Some of these incidences include theft. That, therefore, brings up the question of whether replacing the travel document is viable.

Another instance that may require one to renew his/her British passport in South Africa is when the document is full. It is possible for a citizen of the United Kingdom to apply for a new travel document while in South Africa. There are, however, specific British passport renewal regulations that one should put into consideration.

British passport renewal South Africa regulations

Before you proceed to the process of applying for a new travel document, one should ensure that they cancel the lost document. This requirement is critical since it will help minimize the chances of someone else using your identity for malicious reasons. After that, the applicant can proceed to report the lost document. For cases where you are not the victim, it is advisable to report the lost and found document to the commission offices.

Renew British passport from South Africa

In case you lose your travel document a few days before your travelling date, there is the emergency passport option that you can apply for. This option takes a shorter time to process. It, however, has a set of requirements that one should meet for them to qualify for it. These requirements are:

  • The applicant must be a citizen of the United Kingdom.
  • He or she must be outside the country while applying for the document.
  • The passport of the applicant must be lost, expired, full, or damaged.
  • The applicant should prove that they are supposed to travel and cannot wait until the normal passport is processed.

New applicants do not qualify for an emergency passport application.

Eligibility of the emergency passport

If you are a South African applying for a British passport but qualify for the emergency travel document, there is a restriction on how you can use it. For instance, the document allows you to travel to your destination. It, however, limits you to travel across five countries. Apart from that, some countries may require you to leave the travel document at their borders. Besides that, the details of your travels will be stamped on the travel document.

What does it cost to renew a British passport in South Africa?

If you do not qualify to apply for the emergency passport, the only option you have left is to go through the normal application process. There are two methods of renewing a British passport in South Africa, which are the online application method and the manual method that involves filling in the necessary forms. Some charges are imposed in each one of the methods. For instance, the British passport renewal online costs seventy-five Euros for the online procedure, while the manual procedure costs eighty-five Euros.

After filling in the required details and submitting them, the process of renewing a British passport takes up to three weeks. The process can take longer, especially if you did not fill the right details; hence, applicants are advised to be keen.

Once your travel document is ready, it will be delivered to you as per the address that you provided during the application process. Applicants are also advised not to make any bookings before their travel document is ready.