ALERT: Passport applications, collections affected by biometric issues at Home Affairs
Cape Town – With two days before the end of the last school term, marking the official kick-off of the festive season in South Africa, the Department of Home Affairs has issued an apology for the current unavailability of Live Capture Systems – or Biometric Data Capturing – at all home affairs offices around the country.
The Department of Home Affairs announced the unavailability of biometrics on Wednesday, 7 December, saying the shutdown of the system was “due to technical challenges”.
Services that are affected include Smart ID Card and Passport applications as well as collections. Birth, Marriages and Death services are not affected.
The Department apologised for the inconvenience caused and said the matter is being attended to.
In a more positive move, the DHA on Wednesday also tweeted confirmation that South African passports for minors “will include parental details from February 2017”. This follows after public outcry over the confusion and admin intensity of the Unabridged Birth Certificate which was implemented in June 2015.
The DHA has now done away with the Unabridged version of SA’s Birth Certificate and now only issues Birth Certificates detailing both parents’ particulars – with the minor’s passport set to be the main travel document.
