South Africa

Last Updated: 2026-04-02

Official Portal: Department of Home Affairs

Embassy Finder: South African Diplomatic Missions

Quick Facts

Category	Details
Residency for naturalization	5 years of permanent residence (total of at least 10 years of lawful residence including temporary)
Language requirement	No formal language test
Civics test	No formal civics examination
Processing time	12—36 months (significant backlogs at Home Affairs)
Naturalization fee	ZAR 1,350 (approximately USD 75)
Dual citizenship	Conditional — must apply for and receive retention of South African citizenship before acquiring a foreign nationality
Citizenship by birth	Yes, for children born in South Africa to at least one South African citizen or permanent resident parent
Citizenship by descent	Available for children born abroad to South African parents; must register the birth
Governing law	South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995 (as amended), Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996

Dual Citizenship

South Africa allows dual citizenship, but with a critical procedural requirement that catches many citizens unaware: South African citizens who wish to acquire a foreign nationality must apply for and receive a retention permit before acquiring the other nationality. Failure to do so results in automatic loss of South African citizenship by operation of law.

Section 6(1)(a) of the Citizenship Act: A South African citizen who, by a voluntary and formal act other than marriage, acquires the citizenship of another country shall cease to be a South African citizen, unless they have applied for and received permission to retain their South African citizenship prior to acquiring the foreign nationality.

How to apply for retention:

Submit Form DHA-1664 (Application for Retention of South African Citizenship) to the Department of Home Affairs.
Include a certified copy of your South African passport or identity document, proof of the foreign citizenship application (such as the naturalization application or approval letter), and the prescribed fee.
The application must be submitted before the foreign citizenship is conferred. If you naturalize abroad first and apply for retention after, you are too late — your South African citizenship has already been lost.
Processing times are notoriously slow — often 12 to 24 months or longer. The Department of Home Affairs has severe backlogs. Some applicants report waiting 3+ years.
There is no guarantee of approval, though refusals are uncommon for straightforward cases.

If you acquired foreign citizenship without retention: You have lost your South African citizenship by operation of law. Your South African passport is no longer valid. You must apply for resumption of citizenship (see Restoration below), which is a separate, discretionary process.

Scale of the problem: This requirement catches an enormous number of South Africans abroad. The South African diaspora numbers approximately 800,000 to 1 million people, primarily in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. Many naturalized in their host countries without being aware of the retention requirement, or were aware but found the processing times incompatible with the naturalization timelines of the host country.

Foreign nationals naturalizing in South Africa are not required to renounce their existing citizenship. South Africa does not demand renunciation as a condition of naturalization.

Acquisition of Nationality

By Birth (Jus Soli — Conditional)

A child born in South Africa acquires citizenship at birth if at least one parent is a South African citizen or permanent resident at the time of the child’s birth. Birth on South African soil alone, to two foreign parents without permanent residence, does not confer citizenship.

Exception for long-term residents: A child born in South Africa to non-citizen, non-permanent-resident parents who has lived in South Africa continuously from birth until the age of majority (18) and whose birth was registered in accordance with the Births and Deaths Registration Act may apply for South African citizenship. This provision serves as a safeguard against statelessness for children who have no connection to any other country.

By Descent

A child born outside South Africa to a South African parent acquires citizenship by descent, provided the birth is registered at a South African mission abroad. Registration should be done promptly — while there is no strict statutory deadline, delays can create complications.

Both parents transmit citizenship equally — there is no gender distinction. This has been the case since the 1995 Citizenship Act, which replaced the previous gender-discriminatory framework inherited from the apartheid era.

By Adoption

A child adopted by a South African citizen under a South African court order, or under an order recognized by South African law, acquires citizenship from the date the adoption order takes effect. The adoption must comply with the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 and, for intercountry adoptions, with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption (South Africa is a party).

By Marriage

Marriage to a South African citizen does not automatically confer citizenship. A foreign spouse may apply for a spousal visa (temporary residence), then permanent residence, and ultimately naturalization. The marriage must be genuine and subsisting. The Department of Home Affairs conducts assessments to determine whether the marriage is bona fide.

There is no specific expedited pathway for spouses — they must meet the standard permanent residence and naturalization requirements, though the spousal relationship is taken into account when evaluating the application.

By Naturalization

Requirement	Details
Permanent residence	Must hold a permanent residence permit for at least 5 consecutive years
Total lawful residence	At least 10 years total in South Africa (including time on temporary permits leading up to permanent residence)
Good character	No convictions for serious offenses; security clearance by State Security Agency
Intent to reside	Must intend to continue residing in South Africa
Language	No formal language test
Civics knowledge	No formal test
Renunciation of prior citizenship	Not required
Fee	ZAR 1,350

The Minister of Home Affairs has discretion to waive the residency requirement in exceptional cases, such as for persons who have rendered exceptional service to South Africa (scientists, athletes, cultural figures).

Processing reality: The Department of Home Affairs is one of the most backlogged government departments in South Africa. Naturalization applications routinely take 2—3 years to process. The department has undergone multiple modernization efforts, but processing times remain a significant challenge.

Loss and Renunciation

Voluntary renunciation: A South African citizen who holds another citizenship may renounce South African citizenship by submitting Form DHA-81. The renunciation takes effect upon approval by the Department.

Automatic loss (Section 6(1)(a)): As detailed above, a South African citizen who acquires a foreign nationality by voluntary act (other than marriage) without prior retention permission loses South African citizenship automatically. This is the most consequential loss provision in the Act.

Deprivation: Citizenship acquired by naturalization may be revoked if:

Obtained by fraud, false representation, or concealment of a material fact.
The person has shown disloyalty to the Republic.
The person has been sentenced to imprisonment for 12 months or more within 7 years of naturalization.

Citizens by birth and descent enjoy strong constitutional protection and cannot be deprived of citizenship in most circumstances.

Restoration of Nationality

A person who lost South African citizenship — whether by voluntary renunciation, automatic loss upon acquiring a foreign nationality without retention, or deprivation — may apply for resumption of citizenship under Section 13 of the Citizenship Act.

Requirements for resumption:

The applicant must be a permanent resident of South Africa at the time of application, or apply from abroad through a South African mission.
The applicant must demonstrate that resumption is in the public interest.
The Minister has full discretion to approve or refuse.
Processing times are lengthy, often 12—36 months.

This pathway is critical for the estimated hundreds of thousands of South Africans who emigrated and naturalized abroad without obtaining retention certificates. Many seek resumption later in life, particularly when they wish to return to South Africa for retirement, inherit property, or access family-related rights.

Stateless Persons and Foundlings

The Citizenship Act provides that a child found in South Africa who is, or who appears to be, under the age of one year and whose nationality and parents are not known, is deemed to be a South African citizen by birth. South Africa is a party to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and has constitutional provisions (Section 20 of the Constitution) protecting against statelessness.

Document Checklist

Sources

South African Citizenship Act 88 of 1995 (as amended) — Principal legislation. https://www.gov.za/documents/south-african-citizenship-act
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 — Section 3, Citizenship; Section 20, Right to a nationality. https://www.gov.za/documents/constitution-republic-south-africa-1996
Department of Home Affairs — Official portal for applications, forms, and office locations. https://www.dha.gov.za/
Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) — South African missions abroad for overseas applications. https://www.dirco.gov.za/
South African Government Services — Citizenship information portal. https://www.services.gov.za/

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