ID and Passport price hike

I still don't understand why the Zimbabweans under the special dispensation got their documents for free.  They are lucky they get fast-tracked for free while the rest of the (legal) immigrants wait....and wait... and wait....

****If you are having problems that are not being adequately addressed, phone the Home Affairs DG on his cellphone.  Read more here.****

 

Passport and ID costs soar

Mar 24, 2011 9:56 PM| By

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From next week, South Africans will pay more to renew their identity and passport documents.

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Photograph by: Bruce Gorton

The Department of Home Affairs yesterday announced that from April 1, it will increase fees for the reissuing of an identity document and temporary ID certificates from R20 to R140. A standard passport, now priced at R190, will cost R400.
Briefing journalists in Pretoria yesterday, Home Affairs Director- General Mkuseli Apleni said the increases were "reasonable" and had been approved by the national treasury. He said the increases were in line with the department's plan to recover the money it spends on reissuing documents when holders complain about errors - made by the applicants themselves or by the department - or missing information in their documents.
While he denied the increases - some prices went up by about 600% - were intended to boost the department's revenue, Apleni said it was costing the department more to reissue ID and passport documents because of errors.
He said the department has changed its procedures, and applicants for ID and passport documents will now keep a copy of their application form as proof the information they provided was correct.
Apleni said the tariffs will not apply to those who apply for an identity document for the first time, and those who change their surnames when they get married.
Other tariff increases that Apleni announced, include:

• Childrens' passportsfrom R145 to R400;

• Documents for travel purposes from R145 to R300;

• Cost of an emergency travel certificate from R70 to R140;

• Temporary passport from R90 to R180; and

• Maxi passport from R380 to R600.

Apleni said new, additional security features were behind the cost increases for issuing passports.
He said the department had made progress in its effort to clean up the National Population Register, which was plagued by problems such as the duplication of ID documents, people sharing ID numbers and ID numbers which did not correspond with fingerprints.

http://www.timeslive.co.za/Politics/article986414.ece/Passport-and-ID-costs-soar?service=print