The South African Department of Home Affairs has taken an important step to launch a user-friendly digital portal that enables thousands of South Africans worldwide to verify and restore their citizenship.

This new system finally brings certainty to emigrants who were uncertain if they had lost their citizenship after having accepted citizenship of another country.

Why was this portal necessary?

For many years, South Africans automatically lost their citizenship when they obtained citizenship of another country without applying for prior permission (a letter of retention). A court ruling in 2025 declared this provision unconstitutional.

This means:

• Anyone who lost their South African citizenship because of the old legislation is now considered never to have lost it.
• The new portal allows people to confirm and, when necessary, to restore their South African citizenship formally and efficiently.

What does the new Citizenship Restoration Portal do?

Accessible via https://myhomeaffairsonline.dha.gov.za/, the platform enables users to

• verify their current citizenship status
• check if their details appear correctly on the National Population Register
• submit a citizenship-restoration application if the system shows them as having lost it
• upload supporting documents electronically
• track the progress of their application
• complete the entire process without having to visit an embassy or Home Affairs office.

For expats, this is a major relieve, especially for people who often had to wait years for clarity.

How to get started

1. Visit www.myhomeaffairsonline.dha.gov.za.
2. Create an online profile or log in.
3. Enter your ID number and personal details, and upload any required supporting documents.
4. The system will automatically verify your citizenship.
5. Follow the on-screen steps to restore your citizenship (if necessary).

Why does this matter to expats?

Restoring or confirming citizenship is important for

• renewing or applying for a South African passport
• the right to vote in South African elections
• retainment of property and inheritance rights, and tax status
• the possibility of returning to South Africa without additional administrative hurdles
• the emotional connection of still being officially a South African.

For many people, citizenship is more than a legal right, but also identity, a feeling of home and cultural connection – something that AfriForum Worldwide experiences everyday through the stories of our people abroad.

What does it mean for the diaspora community?

This portal offers

• clarity and reassurance to thousands of expats
• an simple process that is eventually accessible from anywhere in the world
• the possibility of finalising administration quicker
• a feeling that South Africa recognises and includes its citizens abroad.

The new Citizenship Restoration Portal marks an important milestone for South Africans from across the world. It not only provides legal certainty, but also the reassurance that no-one will lose their South African identity simply because they pursued new possibilities abroad.

For the diaspora, it is yet another way to stay connected to South Africa – despite distance or time.

Also read: From setback to success: How Breytenbachs Immigration Consultants helped a client overcome a past immigration scam and achieve British citizenship