paulry

Does anyone know roughly how long it takes to process a first (applicant at age 16) ID document application?

Thanks

ededed

Assuming the 16 year old is South African, has all their paperwork and uses a competent HA office, 4-6 weeks....

paulry

Thanks. He's newly registered as South African (by decent) since January and he received his SA passport a couple of months ago. Apparently Home Affairs have had the ID document paperwork since May.

ededed

Then a competent HA office wasn't used....they have got better lately, but it is very patchy, all the documents need to go via Pretoria and they do tend to sit and wait in the local offices before someone thinks it would be a good idea to actually start processing them.

Of course, if he was Zimbabwean, he'd be fine...

paulry

Yeah I had the feeling that is what's happened. SA government services are so variable in quality. Just have to go with the flow I suppose. But at least my kids have their SA birth certs and their passports so we are slowly making progress...

Crazy the system there sometimes. My sister went to Home Affairs a few years back and was told she doesn't exist. That was fun

Alfresco

I still haven't my ID book which I applied for in London more than a year ago. After millions of emails to get it sent to Canberra, it still hasn't arrived.

Appllied for the kids S.A. passports from here in Oz just under a year ago and haven't got them either.

paulry

I got my SA passport renewed before leaving the UK and it took exactly 3 months with it arriving just a couple of weeks before we were due to leave.

The kids I registered their births in Canberra High Comm early January just before eldest's 16th bithday (I know, just in time ). There we had excellent quality service to match the grand Cape Dutch splendor and setting of the High Comm building IMHO. Very helpful efficient and polite staff. The Birth Certs and passports were done in about 4 months. Eldest's ID document is taking an age and not even the lady at the High Comm seems to know how much longer it'll take. Have you tried emailing the High Comm about your kid's passports? I think 3/4 months is the target so something's wrong there. I'll msg you the email addy and name of the very efficient lady there who helped us.

Alfresco

Thanks P. Have just emailed them all again. Send me the addy and I'll see if it is the same lady I have been dealing with.

Cheers.

ededed

Bloody foreigners...

pomE

I was lucky enough to get to go live/ work in Cape Town on a 2.5 year secondment until last February.

My initial 2 year work visa was due to expire November 2010, so I applied about October 2010 for the renewal seeing as my contract was extended.

By the end of February 2011, there was still no sign of my visa renewal. I decided to take a position over here in Sydney and ironically, I got a call from the immigration consultants on the day I left South Africa to say my visa was ready for collection.

"Sorry, but I am no longer in the country!"

Despite this, I am keen to go back to Cape Town, yet on speaking to the consultants and Home Affairs, it seems my visa has already been "collected", yet neither myself, the immigration consultants nor Home Affairs know by who. The matter is apparently receiving the attention of someone in Pretoria, but it's probably futile.

I'm a homesick Pom (with a South African wife), now living in Sydney who pines for Cape so badly, but I have to question my decision to perhaps go back to a country run by utter morons.....

paulry

I know what you mean, it's one of those heart/head dilemmas. And once they've sorted out this little "anomoly" you'll still need to jump two more times through the temporary visa hoops before you can qualify for PR.

Good luck!

Pablo

Don't worry. When Malema becomes president you won't want PR.

LaraCS

I.D's are taking approx 12 weeks to be processed. I applied for mine almost 9 weeks ago and still haven't received it back!

Alfresco

Got a reply today saying both kids passports are there.

(They received the applications on 11th October 2010.)

Still no ID book though.

LaraCS

Good news. Amazing how passports come back quicker than I.D. books. Lets hope you don't have to wait as long as me