Home Affairs announces major boost for South Africans living in Australia
Home Affairs has opened two new service centres in Australia to help South Africans apply for Smart IDs and passports.
South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has opened two dedicated service centres in Sydney and Melbourne to help South Africans living in Australia apply for Smart IDs and passports.
This expansion forms part of the department’s Home Affairs @ Home initiative, which aims to cut turnaround times for essential identity documents from over a year to just five weeks.
Minister Leon Schreiber said the launch follows a successful pilot in the United Kingdom and is intended to eliminate the lengthy delays that have frustrated many South Africans abroad.
Launch dates and locations:
- Sydney: 16 July 2025 at 10:00 (AEST)
📍 Level 6, 88 Pitt Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 - Melbourne: 18 July 2025 at 13:00 (AEST)
📍 Level 5, 332 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, VIC 3004
Over 210 000 South African expats live in Australia, making it the second-largest community outside South Africa after the United Kingdom.
The Department of Home Affairs confirmed that it will expand services next to New Zealand and the UAE, followed by France, Germany, and the Netherlands later in 2025, and North America in 2026.
This expansion supports the department’s broader plan to phase out the green barcoded ID book and shift all citizens to the more secure Smart ID card by 2029.
It also aligns with Home Affairs’ goal to offer Smart ID and passport services at over 100 bank branches by the end of the year, aiming to reach 1,000 branches by 2028.