National Population Registry Campaign

Home Affairs is intensifying its public outreach programme to ensure that each and every citizen, young and old, has been registered on the *National Population Register and has the right document at a specified time of their lives.

Our large-scale National Population Registration Campaign is one of several initiatives aimed at bringing Home Affairs services closer to the people.

Our mobile units are ready to visit communities in remote rural areas across the country.

This campaign also aims to raise awareness on the need to build a single entry to our national population register and will entail:

BIRTH REGISTRATIONS:
All new births must be registered with Home Affairs within 30 days after birth

ERADICATION OF LATE REGISTRATIONS OF BIRTH:
All undocumented South African citizens (without birth certificate, Identity documents or ID numbers) who are 15 years and older will be assisted to receive their enabling documents. They need to apply at Home Affairs before the end of December 2010. Consequently, we will discontinue the Late Registration of Birth process by the end of DECEMBER 2010, after which it will be very difficult to get to register births after the age of 15. This is to ensure that the entry to the national population register only happens when a child is registered for birth and will eventually curb corrupt and fraudulent acquisition of SA citizenship.

New Procedures to register babies after 1 year

The  process  of registering births entails the following:

1. In terms of the registration process a birth must be registered by the parent of the child.
2. If the parents are deceased the next of kin, legal guardian or a social worker may register the child
3. All new births must be registered within 30 days.
4. Births not registered after 31 days and below 15 years, must follow the late registration of birth process
5. Cases of people older than 15 years without birth certificates or ID books, must follow the late registration of birth adjudication process (Screening Committees)
6. Verification of informants biometrics utilizing online verification is compulsory and must be attached to DHA-24)
7. Simultaneous registration of mother and child if mother is not registered.

The following requirements are required to register births within 30 days:

1. Birth Registration form (DHA 24)
2. Confirmation of Birth Form (Clinic cards, maternity certificates)
3. Online verification test report to be attached on DHA-24
4. Copy of parents ID documents
5. Certified copy of parents marriage certificate (if married)
6. Father may register child, provided he submits marriage certificate and copy of wife's ID
7. If parents are not married, both parents must be present to register birth if the child is assuming the father’s surname
8. If either parents are deceased or child is abandoned a social worker may register the child with a social workers report.

Registration after 30 days consist of two components, namely:

1. Registration of birth from 31 days to 14 years
2. Registration of birth from 15 years and above

The following requirements are required to register births from 31 days to 14 years:

1. Birth Registration form (DHA-24)
2. Affidavit DHA-288 completed by the informant
3. Confirmation of Birth Form (Clinic cards, maternity certificates or school letter)
4. Online verification test report to be attached on DHA-24
5. Copy of parents ID documents and copy of informants ID document
6. Certified copy of parents marriage certificate (if married)
7. Father may register child, provided he submits marriage certificate and copy of wife's ID
8. If parents are not married, both parents must be present to register birth if the child is assuming the fathers surname
9. If either parents are deceased, or child is abandoned a social worker may register the child with a social workers report.

Registration of birth from 15 years and above:

1. The introduction of the new late registration of birth (LRB) resulted from the old process of registering birth for clients older than fifteen years (15 years) and above. The process previously allowed citizens older than fifteen years to register birth and apply for identity document at the same time. This process had a number of loopholes which was open to abuse by illegal foreigners and the public at large.
2. A decision was taken to de-link the two processes (that of late registration of birth and application of an Identity document).The objective being to encourage the citizens to register birth first, gets allocated with an Identity number, obtain a birth certificate and thereafter apply for an Identity document.
3. The traditional late registration of birth process (LRB 15 years and above) was implemented on 12 December 2007.

The process to register LRB’s include the following:

1. An informant (a South African citizen who attest that the person applying for LRB is a South African National) in possession of a green bar-coded South African identity document must accompany the person applying for late registration of birth;
2. Certified copies Identity documents of the parents;
3. Two ID size photographs of the person applying for late registration of birth; and
4. Documentary proof of previous application.

The following requirements are required to register births from 15 years and above:

1. Birth Registration form (DHA 24/15)
2. Affidavit DHA 288 (LRB) completed by the informant
3. Fingerprints to be taken for the applicant and informant (if no online verification, DHA 24/A must be filled)
4. Confirmation of Birth Form (Clinic cards, maternity certificates or school letter)
5. Online verification test report (informant)  to be attached to the  application

IDENTITY DOCUMENTS:
All South African citizens 16 years and above must apply for an ID.

This is an appeal to all bona fide citizens without proper enabling ID documentation to make the most of this opportunity so as to lead a better and easier life!

The Home Affairs team is prepared to work harder and more efficiently to ensure that every South African citizen is registered accurately on the population register in order to know of their existence and status.

Home Affairs calls upon each and every citizen to support the National Population Registration Campaign and to share this message with fellow citizens at home, in your community, church and at school!