South Africa - Apply for Asylum Seeker and Refugee Permits

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Procedure

Apply In-Person:

1. To apply for Asylum seeker and Refugee permit in person, the applicant has to visit the office of Refugee Reception in the Department of Home Affairs.
2. The relevant links for contact and address details for the Refugee Reception Centres can be found in the following link: Link
3. Visit the office of Refugee Reception Centre and obtain an application form as applicable from the relevant authority. Or click here to download: Link
4. Make sure that you have all the documents listed in the “Required documents” section of this page, when you visit the office.
5. Complete the form as required with relevant details under respective sections. After completing the application form, attach the required documents with the completed form.
6. Then, proceed to submit itto the relevant authority at the office in person for further processes.
7. After that, your fingerprints will be recorded and an interview will be conducted by a Refugee Reception Officer. Then, the data provided by the applicant and applicant’s image will be fed into the refugee system.
8. Once all the necessary processes gets completed, an Asylum Seeker’s permit or a section 22 permit is printed, signed, stamped and issued to the Asylum Seeker.
9. Within the validity period of the Asylum Seeker’s permit, the applicant will be called for a second interview by a Refugee Status Determination Officer (RSDO) during which a decision about the applicant will be taken.
10. If the applicant is recognized with refugee status, he/she is issued with a section 24 permit which can be also be extended by applying in a prescribed manner.
11. After this, the applicant will become eligible for obtaining any further permits as applicable with his/her eligibility criteria.

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Required Documents

• Section 23 permit
• Any identity proof from nationality of origin
• Any travel document (if any)
• Completed BI-1590 form
• Any supporting document (as instructed)

Office Locations & Contacts

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: [email protected]
Website ,Link 2

Department Of Home Affairs Offices

Eligibility

• Any person, who has fled his or her country of origin and is seeking recognition and protection as a refugee in the Republic of South Africa, can apply.
• Any person, who has been granted asylum status and protection by the Refugee reception authority, can apply.

Fees

Service to asylum seekers and refugees is free of charge.

Validity

Section 23 Permit – 14 days
Section 22 Permit – Six months
Section 24 Permit – 2 years

Documents to Use

BI-1590: Link

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

Application process may take up to six months.

Related Videos

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.gIn the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

Any information regarding the application for Asylum seeker and Refugee permits can be obtained from the Refugee reception office in the Department of Home Affairs and the contact details can be found in the following link: Link

Required Information

• Particulars of the applicant
• Surname/family name
• Date/place of birth
• Current/previous nationality
• Relevant Identity document number
• Language and religion
• Marital status and family details
• Particulars in travel documents
• Education details
• Mode of arrival into RSA
• Particulars of the nationality
• Interpreter details

Need for the Document

Any person who have fled their country of origin for fear of persecution, and does not possess any legal documents such as a passport or visa, the person must apply for and obtain an asylum seeker’s permit at the nearest Refugee Reception Office (RRO) to become permissible for survival in the Republic of South Africa.

Information which might help

• The asylum seeker’s permit is a temporary permit which you are given pending a decision on your application for refugee status or for asylum.

• If your asylum application is approved, you will be given a Section 24 permit (also known as a “Refugee Permit”) which officially recognises you as a refugee and is valid for two years. The permit may be renewed.

• You can apply for a permanent residence permit if you have lived in South Africa for more than five years on a refugee status permit.

• Refer the following page for more relevant information: Link

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

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

External Links

Place some external links which might help.

Others

More information which might help people.