South Africa’s Ministry of Home Affairs has announced a new pilot program that hopes to reduce passport waiting times from 18 months down to just five weeks. The catch? It’s only for South Africans who don’t live in South Africa… for now.
“For the first time ever, #TeamHomeAffairs is launching the option of doorstep delivery! From 1 November, citizens abroad will have the option to have their Passport delivered to their home when they use our new service centres abroad,” Leon Schreiber, Minister of Home Affairs, wrote.
We have Home Affairs @ home
“This marks the first time ever that Home Affairs has provided clients with the option to select courier delivery for a critical enabling document, instead of being forced to travel to an office for a second time just for document collection,” reads a statement from the department.
If you’re reading this article while waiting in line at a local Home Affairs office for your passport, please try to enjoy the irony instead of letting it consume you.
It’s not all painful irony, though. Schreiber finished off his tweet with, “Once the system is stable, we’ll roll this out for all clients in SA – including through our new digital partnership with the banks.”
Read More: Home Affairs debuts new digital visa system to boost security and tourism
So, the South Africans abroad are serving as test subjects to “refine and perfect the process in a sandbox environment” before it rolls out to the rest of the country. Does that make you feel any better? Well, maybe the fact that doorstep delivery will cost Saffas abroad between US$30 and US$60 might help.
If you or someone you know has that kind of money ready to save them a trip, information on all the locations that will offer the service is available here.
