A private company that works with South Africa's Department of Home Affairs to handle some consular services for South African citizens in Germany, has opened a new office in Berlin.
According to VFS Global, its new Berlin office will make it easier for affected residents in Germany to more quickly and easily access key consular services, including passport renewals and birth registration.
The new services centre is located in the Spaces Spittelmarkt building at Wallstrasse 9-13, 10179, Berlin. It was officially inaugurated in October by South Africa's Minister of Home Affairs.
Currently there are more than 20,300 South Africans residing in the Germany, according to information shared by VFS.
To meet a growing demand for consular services, South Africa's Department of Home Affairs (DHA) has extended its partnership with VFS Global, which is the official outsourcing partner for DHA consular services in the country.
"Our focus and commitment will be to provide world-class service to the South African diaspora in Germany to ease the passport renewal and birth registration process for South African nationals," said Jiten Vyas, chief commercial officer for VFS Global, in a press release.
Currently, VFS Global operates two service centres in Germany. The other is in Düsseldorf at Tonhallenstrasse 14-15, 40211.
How to renew a South African passport from Germany
With few exceptions, foreign residents in Germany are obliged to maintain a valid passport. Generally Germany's immigration authorities wont issue residence permits beyond the dates of validity of your current passport.
So South Africans, as well as other non-EU nationals who live in Germany, need to be prepared to apply for and obtain a new passport from their home country before their current one expires.
To do so, South African passport holders can either apply with the South African Embassy in Berlin or Consulate in Munich, or apply through one of the VFS Centres in Berlin or Düsseldorf.
To initiate the process via VFS you can register online and set an appointment date and time. Then at your appointment at the service centre your biometric data will be collected, and your application for a passport renewal is compiled.
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VFS offers some services, such as some online tracking of the process and delivery of your passport by courier to your door, that are not available if you apply directly with the embassy or consulate yourself. VFS does charge an additional courier fee for their services, which amounts to €34 per passport for service within Germany.
You may also use VFS services to request a new copy of your South African birth certificate.
To ensure that your documents arrive on time, applicants are advised to book an appointment at least 18 months ahead of the expiry of their current passport.
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