Regular South African passports are issued to South African applicants who are 16 years old and older. They are valid for 10 years and are not renewable. You may start applying for a new passport one (1) year before the current passport expires. The application will be forwarded to the Department of Home Affairs for consideration, which usually takes six (6) months or more. Taipei Mission has no control over the turnaround time of the application.

Checklist of Documents to be Submitted:

• DHA-73 - Passport Application form (not downloadable)

• DHA-529 - Determination of citizenship. Please print the form and complete it with a blank ink pen.

• DHA-9 form – Full set of fingerprints (not downloadable). This form must be submitted by applicants 16 years old and above. Fingerprints are taken at LOSA.  Electronic fingerprints on police cards are not accepted.

• Original South African Passport

• Notarized Copy of Retention/Exemption Letter, for those who have dual citizenship;

• Certificate of Naturalization (original or a clear copy). To be submitted by applicants who are naturalized South Africans.

• Permanent Residence Permit (original or a clear copy). To be submitted by applicants who are naturalized South Africans.

• Written Request to Change "Surname". To be submitted by married female applicants who would like:

       1) to retain their maiden surnames, or

       2) wish to use double–barrel surnames, accompany the marriage certificate.

• Police Report for Loss of Passport in English language. To be submitted by applicants who lost their passports and are applying for a new passport, accompany the South African Identity document or a clear passport copy.

• Two (2) identical passport size photos (3.5cm width x 4.5cm height). Please note that color photos which comply with Department of Home Affairs (DHA) specifications Passport-ID-Photo-Standards-Flyer-23-April-2009.pdf are required for South African passport applications.

• Application fee NTD2260 in cash only.

• Original Taiwan Alien’s Resident Card (ARC)

Please take note of the following:

• The holder's signature (persons 16 years old and above) is laser engraved into the passport. To ensure good quality scanned signature for laser engraving into the passport, the signature in the signature box on the passport application form should be in the middle of the box and must not touch the sides of the box.

• A medium point ballpoint pen should be used to sign the box.

• Please ensure your mouth is closed and that your teeth are not shown on the photo.

• Passport applications in which the photo and signature images do not meet quality standards will be rejected causing delays in the issuance of passports.