Registration of South Africans Abroad - ROSA
Background

During the past few years, the Department has assisted a growing number of our people who had become victims of crime, accidents, illness, death, natural/man-made disasters or civil unrest abroad. To this end the Chief Directorate: Consular Services in cooperation with the Chief Directorate: ICT within the Department of Foreign Affairs of South Africa , developed unique software termed ROSA, which is the acronym for the ‘Registration of South Africans Abroad’. The software programme allows both individual and group travellers to register, update their profiles and de-register their profiles on-line. ROSA is only available to South African citizens who are travelling, living, working and studying abroad. (Note that South African citizens with dual nationality may register if they are not travelling to the country of their second nationality.)

Registration assists the Department and/or Mission in determining how many South African citizens are abroad in a city, town or region in a particular country at any given time. The primary objective is to facilitate contact for consular purposes in the event of any number of potential emergency situations.

As with all consular data, information supplied during the registration process on ROSA is for the exclusive use of the Department and shall be confidential. No information shall be divulged to any outside party, institution or authority without the individual’s express consent. Registration on ROSA is a free and voluntary service.

The following objectives will be met with ROSA, provided that South African citizens take the time to register:

• consolidation of a standard registration process for Head Office and the Mission;

• an on-line registration tool for South African citizens travelling, living, working and studying abroad;

• information available in the event of assistance to be rendered to South African citizens; and

• registered South African citizens may add attachments, such as copies of travel documents, identity documents etc., for record purposes in the event of loss etc.

What is ROSA?

ROSA is the acronym for the ‘Registration of South Africans Abroad’, a software programme developed by the Department of Foreign Affairs allowing travellers to register on-line.

The information travellers register on ROSA allows the Department of Foreign Affairs to assist South African citizens in event of an emergency. The registration is a free, voluntary service provided by Government (through the Department of Foreign Affairs). ROSA is only available to South African citizens who are travelling, living or working abroad.

Why should I register?

Vast numbers of our people who travel abroad every day do not encounter any difficulties. However, through our missions abroad, we have assisted a growing number of South Africans who have become victims of crime, accident/s, illness, death, natural/man-made disasters, civil unrest, or whose family and/or next-of-kin needed to contact them in an emergency.

Registration through this website is NOT considered proof of South African citizenship. If you apply for any service from an Embassy, High Commission or Consulate General (mission) while abroad, you will be asked by staff to provide proof of South African citizenship, such as a passport or bar coded ID book.

By registering your trip on-line with ROSA you assist the Department of Foreign Affairs to locate you during an emergency, verifying your status and liaising with your next-of-kin. Registration is voluntary and free of charge. We encourage you to consider registration as an integral art of your travel planning and security.

How do I register?

The ROSA software is an on-line registration process available on the Department of Foreign Affairs’ web-site. The address is http://www.dfa.gov.za/consular/index.html
Click on the button and follow the easy steps.