Mapaballo Borotho
- Home Affairs will extend its operating hours nationwide during December 2025 and January 2026.
- Offices will close at 18:00 to help citizens apply for or collect Smart IDs and passports.
- The public is encouraged to use the extended hours to ensure their documents are ready for the festive season.
The Department of Home Affairs is set to extend its operating hours across the country for the festive season. The new hours will kick in from 8 December to 19 December 2025 and from 5 January to 16 January 2026.
Operating hours will be extended by an additional two hours daily for applications and collections of enabling documents. On these days, offices will close at 18:00 instead of 16:00.
Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber says services offered during the extended hours will be available at offices equipped to process Smart ID Cards and Passports.
“Clients are advised to book application or collection appointments before visiting offices, using the Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS), available on the Home Affairs website. Those without a booking may still visit offices as walk-ins,” said Schreiber.
He says the Department remains committed to providing accessible and people-centered services.
“The extended hours we are offering will go a long way in assisting people to get the documents they need to spend precious time with friends and family, and to prepare for the New Year.”
South Africans have been urged to take advantage of the long operating hours to ensure that their essential and travelling documents are up to date.
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