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A person who has lost his/ her South African citizenship as a result of formally and voluntarily acquiring the citizenship of another country, in terms of section 15(1)(a) of the now repealed South African Citizenship Act, 1949 (Act No. 44 of 1949) before 6 October 1995 when the new South African Citizenship Act, 1995 (Act 88 of 1995) came into operation, may apply for an exemption from the loss of South African citizenship in terms of section 26(4) of the South African Citizenship Act, 1995 (Act 88 of 1995).
Therefore, a person who, for example, acquired the citizenship of a foreign country on 1 December 1992 would have automatically lost his/ her South African citizenship in terms of Section 15(1)(a) of Act 44 of 1949; however, that person may apply for a retrospective exemption in terms of section 26(4) of the South African Citizenship Act, 1995 (Act 88 of 1995). Upon approval, the person will be deemed to have remained a South African citizen when he/ she acquired foreign citizenship.
The following documents must be submitted when applying for an exemption from the loss of South African citizenship:
- Form BI-1666 to be fully completed in block letters and in black ink;
- Form BI-529 to be fully completed in block letters and in black ink;
Note:
- All applicants are kindly requested to fully complete this form, which would assist in locating records at the Department of Home Affairs in Pretoria.
- 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 copies of South African passport or identity document;
- Documentation confirming how and when the applicant acquired foreign citizenship accompanied by an English translation by a sworn translator, if the original documentation is not in English ("personbevis" in English);
Note:
- Most applicants would have some form of naturalisation or registration certificate that was issued to them; if this is not available or has been lost or stolen, then a letter from the country of which the applicant holds citizenship must be submitted - this letter should confirm how and when the applicant acquired foreign citizenship.
- A self-addressed A4-size envelope with REK label on it, to return the certificate after issuing, and any personal original documents;
- Proof of payment of the prescribed application fee, e.g. copy of the bank transfer slip.
Payment of the above-mentioned application fee 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: |
Exemption from loss of citizenship |
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):
- The processing period for an application for the retention of South African citizenship is a maximum of one month;
- Applicants are requested not to contact our office unnecessarily for progress reports on applications. Applicants may however contact our office in the event of the application taking longer than one month.
- 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. |
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