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Have a question you would like answered? Email us and we may answer it. The questions here are based on ones from our readers, with identifying information removed.

Please note: GroundUp is just a news agency. We are not lawyers or financial advisors, and we have nothing to do with SASSA, Home Affairs, or any other government bodies. We do our best to make the answers accurate using publicly available information, but we cannot accept any legal liability if there are errors. If you notice any discrepancies, please email [email protected].

Topic: Home Affairs  |  Show questions and answers for all topics

How can I get Home Affairs to send my biometrics to the Master of the High Court in order to release my inheritance from the Guardian's Fund?

You can write a letter to the Minister of Home Affairs and explain your situation.

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How can I apply for an official birth certificate and ID for my 18-year-old son after the document provided by his late grandmother was confirmed as fake by Home Affairs?

You will have to apply for a Late Registration of Birth for your son.

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I have been waiting for 10 months for a late registration of birth interview. How can I fast track this process and get my ID?

You can ask the Black Sash to assist you to speed up the LRB interview process if possible.

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How can I obtain my late wife's death certificate to apply for a disability grant if her family refuses to give me the original?

As the surviving spouse, you can apply for a copy of the death certificate from Home Affairs and have it certified.

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What can I do if someone lied about the year they were born when applying for an ID and now wants to rectify it?

He would likely need legal assistance – supplying false information on an identity card could lead to a fine or even imprisonment.

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How can my friend’s child, born in the DRC while her asylum-seeker mother was away, be registered in South Africa?

Your friend should approach organisations such as Scalabrini, who help immigrants and refugees in South Africa.

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Can I apply for South African citizenship if I was born here to foreign national parents but left before I turned 16?

Generally you can only apply for citizenship through naturalisation if you've only lived in South Africa until you were 18, but you could ask Home Affairs for an exception.

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I’m a foreign national with a child out of wedlock with a South African. My name isn’t on the birth certificate, how can I add it and change the child’s surname to mine?

You can apply to change the child's surname and add your name on their birth certificate at Home Affairs, with the mother's consent.

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My parents abandoned me as a baby. Can my uncle who raised me help me submit something to Home Affairs so I can apply for an ID?

You could ask your uncle to make a sworn affidavit explaining the situation with your parents and that he raised you.

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My child lives in another province with his father. Will I need to travel there in order to help him get his ID?

Home Affairs will probably accept just the father's ID, as long as they take a copy of your ID and letter of your permission.

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