How the Home Affairs fees checker works
Last updated 10 November 2026
The Department of Home Affairs publishes a schedule of tariffs and lists the documents needed for each service on its own pages. This tool puts the common ones in one place: passports, Smart ID cards and birth certificates. It shows the fee and the document list for the service you choose.
How it works
- Choose the service, such as an adult passport or a Smart ID re-issue.
- For a passport, say whether you are replacing one that is still valid, one that was lost, or applying abroad.
- Read the fee and the documents Home Affairs lists. Take originals and copies as the list says.
Worked example
With the starting choice:
- Adult passport (32 pages, 10 years) costs R 600 in South Africa.
- Replacing a passport that is still valid for six months or more costs R 1 200.
- A re-issued Smart ID card costs R 140.
Where the figures come from
Fees come from the Home Affairs tariffs page, which was headed “updated August 2026” when we read it on 10 November 2026. The passport tariffs, including the higher amount when the old passport is still valid, come from its passports page. The figures register shows what was checked.
Passport rules worth knowing
Passports must be valid for at least 30 days after the intended departure date and have at least two blank facing pages.
An identity document is issued from age 16. A person aged 16 or older must have an ID before applying for a passport.
For children, both parents attend with the child, and Home Affairs says a letter of consent and an ID copy are no longer accepted when one parent cannot attend.
Smart ID cards and birth certificates
Smart ID cards can only be applied for at modernised offices, including selected banks and mall offices.
A birth must be registered within 30 days. After that it is a late registration, with extra requirements that DHA lists on its birth certificates page.
DHA’s fee table lists R75 for an abridged certificate and R20 for a computer-printed one, while its birth certificates page says R75 for unabridged and R20 for abridged. The tool follows the birth certificates page.
What this page does not cover
Visas, permits, naturalisation, name changes, marriage and death certificates and late registration of birth are not included, so no fee is shown for them. Offices can ask for more than the lists show. This is information from public pages, not legal advice.
Things to watch
- Fees change. Check the Home Affairs tariffs page before you pay.
- Smart ID and passport offices, banks and the eHomeAffairs channel may charge or require different things from what the fee schedule lists.
Related: the CIPC fees calculator. Read the full disclaimer.