DIRCO Consular Services for South Africans Abroad

 

✅ What DIRCO Can Do

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• Facilitate the issue of DHA emergency travel certificates (ETC’s) where passports are lost, stolen, or expired. ETC’s require in-person application & collection. They typically take 3-5 working days to be issued.

• Provide guidance and assistance in replacing lost or stolen passports

• Offer lists of local doctors, hospitals, lawyers and interpreters

• Facilitate communication with family or next of kin in South Africa

• Provide welfare visits to detained South Africans (where permitted by local authorities)

• Monitor the general wellbeing of detained citizens and ensure access to due legal process

• Provide information on local legal and judicial procedures

• Offer guidance during emergencies such as armed conflict, civil unrest, natural disasters or evacuations

• Share safety advisories and official updates

• Liaise with local authorities in cases of serious injury, death, or hospitalisation

• Assist in notifying family in South Africa in cases of medical emergencies or death

• Provide letters of support or confirmation of nationality where appropriate

 

❌ What DIRCO Cannot Do

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• Pay medical expenses, hospital bills, or medication costs

• Pay for medical evacuations or repatriation

• Pay for flights, accommodation, food, or other living expenses

• Provide loans or financial assistance

• Pay legal fees or court fines

• Secure release from prison or detention

• Interfere in foreign judicial or immigration processes

• Override decisions made by local authorities

• Guarantee evacuation from high-risk or conflict areas

• Provide private security or extraction services

• Act as a travel insurance provider

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South Africans abroad remain personally responsible for ensuring they have valid travel documents, appropriate visas, comprehensive travel and medical insurance, and sufficient financial resources to support themselves in an emergency.