Apply In-Person:

1. To apply for Retention of Citizenship in person, the applicant must visit any nearest office of the Department of Home Affairs or any South African Embassy, mission or consulate if you are overseas.
2. Please click on the following link for the contact details and address of the office of Department of Home affairs: Link Among the list of provinces, click on your province name and get the details accordingly.
3. Go to the office of DHA and obtain the Application for Retention of South African citizenship DHA-1664 and Determination of Citizenship form DHA-529, from the concerned Department.
4. The application forms can also be downloaded by the following links:DHA-1664 - Link,DHA-529 - Link
5. The applicant will have to complete both the application forms obtained from the office to apply for Retention of citizenship.
6. Fill the relevant sections of the forms with appropriate details of the applicant and provide the proper reasons for the application of Retention.
7. Make sure that you have all the documents listed under the “Required documents” section of this page. Also pay the prompted fees at the office and obtain the proof of payment.
8. Once completed filling the application form, submit it along with all the required documents at the respective department in the office.
9. The submitted form and attached documents will be put into necessary verification processes by concerned authorities.
10. Once when all the processes are done and the reason stated is found sufficient, the Minister of Home Affairs will make the necessary amendments for the Retention of South African citizenship and issue a certificate to that effect in the prescribed form.

• Completely filled DHA-1664 and DHA-529 forms (printed double sided where applicable)
• Proof confirming the citizenship of another country (if acquired) or Application proof
• Original or certified copies of SA passport or ID
• Proof of payment (R300.00 as of 17 June 2022)
  

May require:

• birth certificate
• both ID and Passport

Department of Home Affairs - Head Office
Physical Address : Hallmark Building,
230 Johannes Ramokhoase,
Pretoria,
Gauteng,
0001,
South Africa.
Postal Adress : Private Bag X114,
Pretoria,
0001,
Phone: 012 406 2500
Email: hacc@dha.gov.za
Website ,Link 2

Department Of Home Affairs Offices

• The application to Retention is approved only when it is lodged, before acquisition of the Citizenship of any other nationality.
• Any person, who wants to obtain citizenship of any nationality while being an SA citizen simultaneously, can apply for a SA citizenship Retention.

• Retention of SA citizenship – R300.00
  

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

• Application for Retention of South African citizenship DHA-1664 - Link
  
• Determination of Citizenship form DHA-529 - Link
  

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

• Unless you have been granted retention of your South African citizenship before acquiring another citizenship, you will lose your South African citizenship automatically if you are 18 years and older and have obtained the citizenship of another country by a voluntary and formal act, other than marriage.
• The same condition is applied when a person serving in the armed forces of another country (where the person is also a citizen) and that country is at war with South Africa.

• Particulars of the applicant
• Marital status
• Particulars of the Applicant’s parents
• Identity document numbers
• Address information
• Contact details

• Any person, prior to his or her loss of South African citizenship, may apply to the Minister to retain his or her South African citizenship, especially is such a case, where the person wants to acquire citizenship of any other nationality.
  

• Whenever a person, ceases to be a South African citizen, he or she shall be regarded as having the citizenship or nationality which he or she had before he or she became a South African citizen, and, if he or she had no other citizenship or nationality, he or she shall be regarded as having the citizenship or nationality of his or her responsible parent.
• The Minister may at any time, unconditionally or subject to such conditions as he or she may deem fit, exempt any person for a definite or an indefinite period.
• Whenever a person ceases to be a South African citizen he or she shall not, thereby be discharged from any obligation, duty or liability in respect of any act done or committed before he or she ceased to be a South African citizen.

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

Place some external links which might help.

More information which might help people.