Cape Town - The Minister of Home Affairs, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has amended the fees for South African passports and travel documents which will cost much more now.
The department said the amended fees were published in Government Gazette No 47256 on October 6, and come into operation on November 1.
The South African Passports and Travel Documents Act, 1994 enables the Minister of Home Affairs to make regulations regarding the fees payable for the issuance of a South African Passport or Travel Document, in consultation with the Minister of Finance, it said.
The fee changes to passport and travel documents come after a bench-marking exercise with other countries which found that South African tariffs were up to three times lower, it said.
“The decision was also informed by the fact that production costs are much higher than what people are paying for our passports.
This means the government is heavily subsidising passport holders when such a subsidy is not realised for ordinary ID applicants.
“We believe that those who are able to travel out of the country are financially better off than ordinary citizens and they don’t need to be subsidised in the manner we have been doing,” said Motsoaledi.
The department also said that fees payable for the issuing of South African passports and travel documents were last adjusted in 2011.
The fees payable in respect of applications for a South African passport or travel document made within the Republic are as follows:
- Adult passport R600 for 32 pages (current fee R400); R1 200 for 48 pages (maxi, current fee R800)
- Child passport R600 (current fee R400)
- Official passport R600 (currently no charge)
- Diplomatic passport R600 (currently no charge)
- Document for travel purposes R600 (current fee R300)
- Crew member certificate R600 (current fee R350)
The fees payable in respect of applications for a South African passport or travel document made outside of the Republic, at Missions, Embassies or Consulates, are as follows:
- Adult passport R1 200 for 32 pages (current fee R400); R2 400 for 48 pages (maxi, current fee R800)
- Child passport R1 200 (current fee R400)
- Emergency travel certificate R140 (current fee R140).
Cape Times